The+decision+for+Home+Rule+for+Ireland,+1885-1886

__Why did Gladstone become interested in the Irish Question?__ __What were his policies towards Ireland?__' __Disestablish the church - Church Disestablishment Act 1869__ __Why were his policies constantly changing?__ __When did Gladstone convert to Home Rule and why?__ __How did his pursuit of the Irish Question affect his political career?__ __Was he doomed to fail?__
 * Irish grievances 1868 (three main areas- religious,political and economic)
 * Wanted to encourage the majority of the Irish to accept the union of Britain and Ireland
 * Threat of violence, revolution
 * Personal reasons - links back to Peel... Gladstone was the first British politician to show any real understanding of the Irish problem and a genuine desire to do something constructive about it, instead of simply holding the Irish down by force.
 * Pacify' them at first, but he realised later on that the problem legitimately needed solving
 * Land Act 1870 - tried to give protection to peasants, landlords could not charge exorbitant rents (was a failure - did not define exorbitantly - landlords increased rents)
 * Irish Universities Bill 1873
 * A lot of them didn't work - for example the land act
 * Because of actions of others eg Parnell, Fenians
 * Policies change because issues change
 * 1886
 * Ther was a great demand for Home rule, it left Gladstone unmoved at this time. There was harldly any support for it among British MP's. When it became clear that the Irish were making very little progress under the leadership of Isaac but he as removed in favour of a more determined and extreme leader- Charles Stewart Parnell.
 * Important because it split the Liberal Party between Gladstonian Liberals and Liberal Unionists
 * Report on the Irish situation by James Bryce made after the June General Election in 1885 entitled 'Irish opinions on the Irish problem'
 * Short term: ended it
 * Long term: had retired previously, already had his political career
 * Did he have a choice? Could not have avoided the problem, problem was never going to be easy to solve, if solvable at all
 * If Parnell hadn't split his party (cited in divorce preceedings, people lost faith in him) they might have had a chance