Liberal Policy for Ireland 1906-1914

Date/Event Implications
1906: Campbell Bannerman PM. Several pieces of social What policy? No Home Rule policy in the electoral campaign. Ireland was not considered urgent. Absence of ‘79-82 type violence and Tories had come
legislation passed between 1906-8: unstuck with Ulster Unionists. NB. Irish Nationalism had seemed quiet of late. (SON) A number of measures were passed (see list) but none dealt with
• Improvement in rural & urban housing Home Rule. Once again, at a point of crisis the Irish vote held the balance of power (1909-1914) and a liberal party not initially set on major Irish reform was
• Reinstatement of evicted tenants keen to do a deal. See parallels & list them:
• Protection of tenants in towns
• Extension of financial provision of Wyndham’s Act
• Universities Act: abolished Royal University and
established National University of Ireland + colleges in
Dublin, Corketc and Queen’s University Belfast

1907: Devolution Not Home Rule proposals rejected by Redmond. Liberals didn’t come up with alternative proposals.

1908: Asquith PM

1909: Budget Crisis Lords (Tory dominated) blocked the budget. This kind of interference was not cricket! (But had been a ploy by Tory Peers whenever the Liberals’ reforms
increased taxes or threatened their interests. Other examples of the Tory Peers blocking Liberal legislation: 1893 Home Rule proposals, 1906 Liberal
Education Bill, 1908 Licensing Bill, unable to abolish plural voting. Etc. The blocking of the 1909 People’s Budget (Lloyd George) made Liberal government
effectively impossible. Consequently a General Election was called. NB Irish Nationalist MP’s once more held the balance of power: Campbell
1910: General Election Bannerman struck a deal with Redmond: Irish support in return for Home Rule.

Liberals: 275 Unionists: 273

Labour: 40
Irish: 70 (Redmond) plus 11

1911: Parliament Act Home Rule was the price of power: Given Liberal reliance upon Irish vote, Home Rule looked certain since in-built Unionist majority of little use.
Could only delay passage for two years.
National Insurance Act This extensive and expensive piece of legislation was a landmark in British history and depended upon the passage of the Parliament Bill. See pp135-138
David Brooks.
• Asquith pushed through reform of the Lords using his Irish majority. Ireland held the key to government. Consequently Home Rule was inevitable.
Irish affairs controlled Parliament.
To 1914.
Redmond (Irish Nationalist Leader) controlled Asquith + Carson (Ulster Unionist leader) controlled Bonar Law. Compromise was impossible
Buckingham Palace Conference
Asquith’s policy of “wait and see” in light of last point resulted in the radicalisation and arming of both Nationalist and Unionist position. This rendered
both Carson’s and Redmond’s negotiations impossible and led to an escalation of the crisis. Irish society polarized as never before

No agreement.
WW1 prevented Civil War.

The Legislative Union forced upon an unwilling Ireland had reached its Nemesis.

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