The Liberals, however, were suspicious of the Monarch's use of power and high regard for the 'liberties' of the ordinary Englishman. The restrictions on the powers of the Monarch from the Bill of Rights 1689 were seen as central to the political system. Lord John Russell saw the British system as superior to the despotisms of continental Europe and the democratic 'excesses' of the USA. parliament had a right to be consulted on all major issues of policy, including taxation. The rule of law was to be upheld in normal circumstances as was the right of free speech and free press.
Conservatives also had a high regard for the constitution and the workings of traditional political system. Although many Conservatives regretted passing the Great Reform Bill, they were prepared to accept the changes. They believed further changes were unlikely to be necessary. The place of the House of Lords was just as significant as the House of Commons and democracy was affiliated with the USA and mob rule, both seen as powerful disincentives to adopt it or anything remotely resembling it. However, Whig-Liberal beliefs were not always as clear-cut as Conservative ones. There was a greater acceptance of reform and amendment of the political system than the Conservatives. Earl Grey, the Prime minister at the time argued that the Reform Act was 'the most aristocratic measure ever put before Parliament'. Even though this remark was designed to win over waverers to the cause of parliamentary reform, it reflected his belief that change was necessary in order to preserve the essentials of the political system.
The land-owning aristocracy were the given rulers of the country due to their background, education and wealth. The stability of the country depended upon a land-owning class who had sufficient stake in the system to act in its best interests. Landowners desires would always take precedence over the manufacturing or commercial interest. The landed classes and House of Lords both depended on the hereditary system - titles and land were inherited in their entirety by the eldest sons.
The Liberals were more open minded in allowing the middle classes into the political framework. The £10 householder who were given the vote by the Whigs in 1832 (Great reform act), were the middle class merchants and manufacturers as well as the small trader or shopkeeper who were seen as natural political allies of the Liberals. The result was the removal of tariff barriers and a general suspicion of unnecessary expense in government, due to economic policies that were more inclined to freeing trade. They also wanted less emphasis on the role of government. Pre 1832, Tories were seen as prosecuted an expensive war against France before 1815 and Liberals remained keen on low taxation and cheap government throughout the 19th Century.
For the Conservatives, the Established Church of England as a central plank in the social system was to remain. The monarch was the head of the church and from the Church's Christian beliefs flowed the basis of society's organisation and principles. The senior bishops were members of the House of Lords. As the appointment of bishops tended to be political and the Tories had been in office for most of the period 1784-1830, the majority of the bishops were of that kind for the first part of the 19th century. The Liberals wanted less emphasis on the privileges of the Church of England and more attention to religious liberty. Liberals were more in favour of nonconformist denominations and sometimes the Roman Catholics - they were starting to believe in 'equality of opportunity for all', regardless of which Christian denomination an individual belonged to. This was connected with a concern to use the propertied wealth of the Church for the wider good, for example in education. The acceptance of the commercial industry and urban changes through which Britain was going led to a concern with such issues.
There was great respect for the British constitution - a British protestant monarch was head of a national church and an English-based land-owning aristocracy with many estates in Wales, Scotland and Ireland was seen as part of one United Kingdom. After the extension of the vote in 1832, the House of commons was becoming accepted. Whilst the privileges of the church of England were to be maintained, there was to be religious toleration for other churches. However, there was still suspicion of Roman Catholics as foreign agents. Catholic emancipation was passed in 1829.
