The machinery of the Irish parliamentary party in the general election of 1895

Abstract

Each of the general elections that took place between 1885 and 1910 was significant in the history of the party, but that of 1895 had an interest peculiar to itself, setting it apart from the others in the series. It was not an election which brought about any major change in the relative strength of the various parties; it was not even notable for the number of seats to be contested. Nor was it fought upon any major issue of policy, since it was obvious to all but the most optimistic that home rule was not—and for a long time was not likely to be—a matter of practical politics; even the question of whether or not to continue the liberal alliance—a question hotly debated ever since Lord Rosebery's unpromising reference to home rule in March 1894—seemed largely academic in view of the probability of a unionist victory in Great Britain. For the Irish party—or, to speak more precisely, for the anti-Parnellites—the importance of the election of 1895 lay in quite a different direction; it lay in the fact that as a result of this campaign the methods whereby in the past the party had controlled the conduct of the elections over a large part of Ireland were deeply and permanently discredited, and the party itself confronted with a very serious crisis. It is the purpose of this paper to trace the development of that crisis, but before proceeding to consider it in detail, it will be necessary to describe very briefly the way in which this control over the elections was exercised.

Reframing the “Irish Question”: the role of the Irish co-operative movement in the formation of Irish nationalism, 1900–22

“…He believed the movement's attempts to attain social and economic improvements for farmers undermined the IPP's position by eroding "the very substance of the nationalist movement". 17 Dillon feared attempts to resolve social issues before political ones dampened demand for Home Rule. Having witnessed the effectiveness of the Conservative government's policy to "kill Home Rule with kindness" in the 1890s, Dillon argued that the co-operative movement similarly worked to weaken the tradition of parliamentary nationalism.…”

Home rule and the liberal party, 1899–1906

“…were not supported he might fall victim to the pressures of the anti-home rulers. 66 Redmond's record of his interview with C.B. on 14 November hardly bears this out; nor does T. P. O'Connor's account of the THE LIBERAL PARTY, 1899-1906 345 same meeting.…”