What was Gladstonian about Gladstonian Liberalism and to whom did it appeal?

Paragraph 2:        Best way to consider Gladstonian Liberalism is to examine main areas of legislation and reform, paralleling this narrative with links to paragraph 1.  

• Thrift and care with finance: Income tax reductions and free trade budgets as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Aberdeen(?).  Absence of social reform due to dislike of spending public £.
• Opportunity for all: University Test Act 1871; Education Act 1870; Army Reforms 1873; Civil Service Reforms 1872(?)
• Fondness of disestablishing the established: married Women’s Property Act; architect of both the 1867 Reform Act as well as the later extension, the 1883 Act.  Removed primacy of Protestant Church of Ireland (1869) and loosened the Protestant grip on power with the celebrated Land Act 1870.
• Autonomy and Independence: mainly foreign policy.  Afghanistan, Sudan, Transvaal and Ireland all enjoyed to a greater or lesser extent some autonomy under Gladstone.  Unpopular with the electorate as a result but this was not what Gladstonian Liberalism was all about.  The Liberals were split as a result of his principles (some may say stubbornness)
• Free Speech: the Bradlaugh Affair.

Paragraph 3.        Were there any features of Gladstonian Liberalism that did not mirror his character and outlook, or were possibly at odds with each other?

• Can the placing of opportunity for the middle classes (which most of the reforms were) compared to the neglect of social issues be described as ‘moral’?  Whilst many see Disraeli as an opportunist and amoral, he was writing about poverty as far back as the 1850’s and his reforms do mirror these early concerns.
• The Trades Unions were unhappy with Gladstone.  In many ways they represented the ‘disestablishment’ but he was none too eager to forward their cause and paid for it at the 1874 election.  He had a suspicion of the power of the masses, which may qualify him as a stronger member of the existing order than he would have been comfortable with.
• Gladstone’s legislation had elements of the patronising about it and this does not sit well with a belief in personal autonomy and free speech.  The best evidence we have for this was the Licensing Act, which restricted the outlets and scheduling for alcohol in Victorian England.

Paragraph 4.        Gladstonian Liberalism appealed to a variety of people: The Middle Classes, Non-conformists, the Irish at certain times as well as foreign nationals who respected his peaceful and civilised approach.  It would be a mistake to say that ‘the working classes supported Disraeli.  Gladstone was not known as The People’s William for nothing and his principled stance won him many admirers, irrespective of his neglect of social reform and nationalism.  Nevertheless, by the end of the 19th century, it was clear that he was out of step with ideological trends and in many ways, the Victorian era ended as much with his death as that of Victoria’s.

Conclusion.        Gladstonian Liberalism did reflect Gladstone’s personal beliefs, but this is not to say that there were not ironies and contradictions.  His appeal was probably middle-class based although in a moral age, many working and upper class supporters would have been evident.