Discuss the view that the Irish gained more from Whig and Liberal Governments than Tory, conservative and coalition governments in the period 1798-1921

The economic situation in Ireland was best dealt with by the Tories, although it took a long time for the issues to be properly addressed. The liberals first attempted to deal with the problem with Gladstone’s First Land Act in 1870. The 'John Bright Clauses' in the act,  allowed tenants to borrow from the government two-thirds of the cost of buying their holding to buy the land. The act overall was, although well-intentioned, relatively unsuccessful. The ‘John Bright Clauses’ was taken up by fewer than 1000 tenants as few landlords were willing to sell and it was beyond most peasants. In 1881 Gladstone introduced his Second Land Act. The act attempted to address the “3 Fs”, Fair rent, Fixity of tenure and Free sale, set out by the Land League. The act was largely ineffective as Irish farmers increasingly turned to the Irish land courts to cut their rents which did not help increase productivity. The Liberals attempted to deal with the situation although they were not able to solve the problems. Instead it was the Tories who did a better job. In 1885 Ashbourne’s Act allowed tenants to buy their land by setting up a fund and providing loans where repayment was affordable. The Irish Land Question was finally answered with the Wyndham Act. The Wyndham Act of 1903 allowed most Irish tenants to actually purchase their holdings from their landlords with British government assistance. Landlords received a generous price set by the government while tenants repaid the government purchase over time. As a result of this act, it was much easier for tenants to buy land. The Tories show clear dominance in dealing with the Irish issue of economy when compared to the Liberals. While the Liberals did try to reform the areas with good intent often they were not addressing the issues properly such as in Gladstone’s Land acts. The Tories did succeed in dealing the Land issue, introducing concessions in 85, 87 and 91 but it was not until 1903 did they fully solve the Land issue.

Concerning electoral improvements the Liberal were more successful. In 1850 the franchise was extended by the liberals. This was important as it meant that more people could vote and be represented, which meant it would be easier to get their views across. In 1872 the Secret Ballot act was introduced. This made elections fairer and more democratic and was introduced by Liberal governments.  In 1884 the franchise was increased again, by the liberals, with the Third Reform Act. This act gave the counties the same voting rights that boroughs had. The Tories, however, also made some concessions concerning electoral issues, including the Second reform Act in 1867 which increased the size of the electorate. The Irish gained more from the Liberals concerning electoral reforms as they increased the franchise more and helped reform the system by making it fairer with the introduction of the Secret Ballot act.

The Liberal governments attempted to introduce Home Rule twice. The first Home Rule Bill introduce in 1886 by Gladstone was defeated in the commons. The Bill wanted to create a  assembly for Ireland which would govern internal affairs. The Second Home Rule Bill differed to the first, but was again introduced by Gladstone, it allowed for the eighty Irish MPs to vote in Westminster but only on bills that affected Ireland. The bill was passed in the commons but rejected by the Lords which was controlled by the Conservative Party. Asquith, a liberal, introduced a third Home Rule, which was very similar to the Second. The act was rejected by the Lords three time, but the Act of Parliament in 1911 meant that the House of Lords were no longer able to permantely veto bills. The liberals clearly played the main role in attempting to introduce Home Rule.  In 1920 Lloyd George introduced the Government of Ireland Act which divided Ireland into two territories that were self governing. In 19921 Dominion powers were granted. These were enforced by a coalition government but it was clearly the Liberals who were instrumental in bringing this about due to their prior effort.

The Irish people gained most from the Liberal government overall. However the Tories did bring about a number of important concessions and dealt with the economic situation better than the liberal governments. More was gained from the Liberals as they introduced more concessions and reforms often they started the process from which Tory or Coalition governments completed.