However, his secret was aired by his son, Herbert who ‘flew the Hawarden kite’ by stating publicly his fathers sympathies towards Home Rule, who thought that his father would once again dominate the political arena if he had Parnell and the nationalists on his side.
From the start of his re-election, Gladstone made it clear that he would try to pass a Bill on Irish Home Rule. Although initially thinking that he should wait to try to educate both the electorate and his party about the matter, he thought that the situation could be potentially revolutionary and devised his first Home Rule Bill. The Home Rule package was presented to the Cabinet in March 1886, and consisted of two separate Bills. The first sought a bi-cameral legislature, the second would buy out the landlords at a cost of some £50 million. The Bill was presented to parliament of 8th April 1886. The majority of the Liberal party supported the Bill, partly out of loyalty to Gladstone, however, it was strongly attacked by the Conservatives and some leading Liberals such as Lord Hartington and Joseph Chamberlain. It was feared that the Bill would lead to the break up of the United Kingdom, also many genuinely worried for the Irish people fearing for their lives and properties, especially for Protestants who had been associated with agitation in the past. Also the issue of protestant Ulster cropped up, and what would happen in the province where most were against Home Rule. With these grievances left unanswered by Gladstone, it was no surprise that the Bill was lost – 313 for and 343 against, with 93 Liberals voting against its passing. Subsequently Gladstone resigned and the second General Election within a year took place.
The election at the end of 1886 was won by Lord Salisbury and the Tories, as Gladstone had been defeated on the only real platform that he stood on. Arthur Balfour was appointed minister for Ireland and soon began his attempt at ‘Killing Home Rule by kindness’.
This phrase that Balfour coined is a clear example of the different directions that the two parties were taking the Irish Question. The Liberals, bar 93, had voted for home rule and therefore the establishment of an Irish parliament and Irish independence. On the other hand, the Tories held a clear position that they wanted to eliminate Home Rule altogether.
Many argue that the Tory approach to the Irish problem was always misguided. Arthur Balfour saw Irish nationalism as a ‘hollow affair,’ an attitude that was quite the antithesis of Gladstone, who had read much about Irish culture and history and was convinced of a strong Gaelic tradition, quite separate to that of England. Balfour also stated that Irish nationalism was merely a ‘sentiment of hostile and exclusive local patriotism.’ He saw the racial integrity of the Irish people through derisive eyes. He didn’t believe that nationalism really existed, instead he believed the anglophobes held contempt to the English because of separate grievances over the constitution, land, poverty and education, which had been played on by Parnell and his supporters for the cause of Home Rule. The Tory attitude was simply remove the grievances upon which the political agitators pry and the desire for Home Rule would disappear. Irish nationalism, like its Scottish counterpart, would come to mean little more than expressions of provincial identities, acting to invigorate rather than divide the United Kingdom.
As a result of the Conservative’s belief that the Irish question could be solved by eliminating areas of Irish objection, the Tories’ response to the Irish question between 1885 and 1905 was a combination of a firm upholding of the law, with a number of Land Reform Acts. Also local government was democratised and the Congested Districts Board and the Department of Agricultural and Technical Instruction were established. This was hardly the twenty years of resolute government the Lord Salisbury had promised.
Most historians consider the reforms made by the Conservative government as unsuccessful, in at least transforming the political opinion of the Irish population. Balfour naturally suggested that time, perhaps even generations, were needed for the effects on Irish politics to be seen. To many nationalists Balfour and the Tories were missing the point entirely. Home Rule could not be ‘killed with kindness’ as it was the result of nationalism, something that is far more deep rooted than a feeling that is aired at times when reform is needed. Nationalists such as William O’Brien knew that Balfour had failed to recognise what was seen as the ‘indestructibility of nationalist sentiment.’ The Conservative government continued in its attempt to ‘kill Home Rule with kindness’ until the re-election of Liberals after their narrow victory in the 1892 General Election.
Gladstone resumed power with his fourth ministry at the age of 84. Many party members wanted to free themselves from the burden of Home Rule and turn to much needed economic and social reform. However, the Irish problem was still close to Gladstone’s heart and he felt an almost moral obligation to pursue Home Rule.
A new proposed Bill was discussed by Gladstone and his party, who talked to Irish Nationalists who were both Parnellite and anti-Parnellite. The outcome of the discussions was a draft much the same of that of 1886, however some alterations were made to make it more digestible for the Liberals who had voted previously against Home Rule. The Bill was first discussed in parliament in February 1893 and the vote came on its Second Reading in September, where it was passed by 347 – 304. However, within a week it was rejected by the massive majority of 419 to 41 in the House of Lords. However, despite the Bill’s defeat Gladstone stayed on as Prime Minister until his reluctant retirement in 1894.
Gladstone’s personal and almost obsessive commitment to Home Rule after 1885 led him to underestimate and even ignore many of the problems that were involved in passing such an Act: There existed a hardcore anti-Irish and anti-Catholic feeling amongst much of the English population, also Gladstone underestimated the opposition within his own Liberal Party.
From the very existence of the Irish problem after the period of 1885 – 1905, it’s evident that neither the Liberal administration nor the Tory one, were comprehensively successful in dealing with the Irish question. Both parties took completely different routes in trying to solve the issue, however the end result was still largely fruitless.
The Liberals tackled the issue head on, by trying to grant the Irish Home Rule, however, the Bill could never really be passed in the political environment of the time. For a start, the general public were largely against the notion, and secondly the existence of the House of Lords with the constitutional powers that it had resulted in nothing coming of the House of Commons passing the Bill in 1895. Also, if it had been passed many modern historians argue that it would have been a disaster for Ireland. This would have been because the complexity of the financial provisions, the difficulties involved in the division of powers between the Irish and Imperial parliaments and, above all, the opposition of Ulster to rule from Dublin.
The Conservatives also failed to solve the problem. The Tory government’s attempt to ‘kill Home Rule with kindness’ was as a result of Balfour and other’s mistaken notion that nationalism wasn't an issue, rather that reform of the land and of Ireland’s institutions would quieten those who were disgruntled with the Union. However, this failed due to the simple reason that nationalism was a belief that was embedded in Irish society due to the Irish belief that they were indeed a different people to the English.
However, there was an element of success by both parties’ approach. The Tories managed to reform the land system in Ireland for the better with five Land Acts between 1885 – 1905. Also the Conservative administration established institutions such as the Department for Agricultural and Technical Instruction. However, although these went some way to improve the situation in Ireland, the underlying problem still existed, that Ireland was a part of the UK against its will.
The Liberal government had a much more friendly approach to Ireland, by trying to grant it Home Rule. Although there being no success in the period of 1885 – 1905 the persistence for Home Rule was rewarded in 1912. Therefore the period could be seen by some, as a successful one for solving the Irish question, as it paved the way for Home Rule to be passed. The Act of 1912 was very much similar to that of the one that Gladstone had devised.
