didn’t the powers that be

[Quang Hai]

I am reading Midwinter break, a book of an Irish novelist. The District Council began building an estate of council houses to rent in the village and people were asked to apply. A poor family prayed that they would get a four-bedroom house there. They even did a novena of Masses.

"But when the time came didn’t the powers that be, Unionist to a man, award the four-bedroom house to one of their own – a Protestant policeman. A widower, a sergeant in the RUC, who lost his wife to cancer. With one teenage son. What need had they of such accommodation?"

I guess the underlined words means "the magic power did not come" Is that correct? The structure looks strange to me.
Also "Unionist to a man" means "all unionist are same" does it? Or it means: "all unionist agree"?

Thanks for your help.

 

[GoesStation]

I am reading Midwinter Break, a book [STRIKE]of an[/STRIKE] by the Irish novelist Bernard MacLaverty.

See above. Capitalize each important word of a title. Always tell us the author of a work you cite unless the name is unavailable.

 

[PeterCW]

Those in authority, every single one of them a Unionist, awarded...

It looks like a question, but it is actually a statement. This apparently interrogative form is not uncommon in some varieties of English.

The use of a "rhetorical question" makes the statement appear more forceful to a native speaker.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

The use of a "rhetorical question" makes the statement appear more forceful to a native speaker.

Right. Like:

- "Don't you think you've had enough to drink?" means "You've had enough to drink." It's advice, not a question.

- "Don't you love how the flowers look?" means "I love how the flowers look and hope you do, too." It's a discussion topic, not a question.