Irish Potatoes

1
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• The Puzzle
• Why did a House of Commons and a House of Lords
  dominated by landed Tories vote to repeal the
  Corn Laws, a measure that was inimical to their
  interests?
• Reflected domination of commercial interests?
  (Marx)
• Re-election pressures?

2
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
1841 Election Results (Seats)
3
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
1841 Election Results (Rural Urban Split)
4
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
1841 Election Results (Large Small Boroughs)
5
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Starting Assumptions
• Do not automatically impose todays preferences
  on yesterdays politicians (e.g., re-election)
• Interests Land, Labour, Capital
• Two possible arrangements
• Urban (Capital Labour) vs. Rural (Land)
• Class (Capital Land) vs Labour

6
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Lessons of the French Revolution
• Chartism
• Pot Plug Plots
• Anti-Poor Law League
• Radicalism and (horror) democracy!
• Ultra Tory reaction.
• Peels Tamworth Manifesto Reform to Conserve

7
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Sir Robert Peel
• Son of a wealthy industrialist
• Not tied to land
• More faith in markets
• Business man by orientation
• Minister in 1817
• Never came to terms with party
• Saw PMs duty to provide Crown with a cabinet

8
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
The Party System
291
367
Whigs
Radicals
Ultras
Administrative Tories
9
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Peels Policy Objectives
• Neither Commons nor Lords congenial to Peels
  aims
• The Condition of England Question Increase
  standard of living to undercut lower class
  agitation
• At the heart of Peels policy was the conviction
  that the only way to overcome both human misery
  an social threat was to increase the purchasing
  power of the masses. (Gash)
• Philosophers are very regardless of expense when
  the public has to bear it. (Peel)

10
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Peels Policy Objectives
• Country in financial difficult
• Inflation and Corn Laws driving up food prices
• Fuels Chartist agitation
• Peels budget re-imposes income tax and begins
  free trade
• Both inimical to landed interests yet it passes

11
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Collective Action Rent-Seeking
• Peel Gladstone (Pres. of Board of Trade)
  lobbied furiously
• Dined at Abp of Yorks. Copper, Tin, Zinc,
  Salmon, Timber, Oil, Saltmeat, all are to be
  ruined, and all in arms.
• (W.E. Gladstone, Diary for 15.03.1842)
• Concentrated benefits versus Diffuse costs
• Rent-seeking

12
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
4, 3
Support
Hard Budget
3, 2
Oppose
Median Tory
Oppose
Peel
1, 1
Easy Budget
Support
2, 4
13
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
Support
4, 3
Hard Budget
3, 2
Oppose
Median Tory
Oppose
Peel
1, 1
Easy Budget
Support
2, 4
14
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
Support
4, 3
Hard Budget
3, 2
Oppose
Median Tory
Oppose
Peel
1, 1
Easy Budget
Support
2, 4
15
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
4, 2
Support
?, 1
Resign
Hard Budget
Oppose
? , 3
Accept
Median Tory
Peel
Accept
? , 3
Oppose
Peel
? ,1
Resign
Easy Budget
Support
2, 4
16
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Peels Credibility
• Peel had a well-known reputation
• Did not place a premium on party
• Tamworth Manifesto was addressed to, that great
  intelligent class of society which is much less
  interested in contentions of party, than in
  maintenance of order and cause of good
  government.
• Disdained all those who look on party as a pack
  of hounds which must have blood. (quoted in
  Jenkins 1998, 80)

17
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Peels Credibility
• Did not place a premium on party
• Had refused power in the past Bedchamber Crisis
  1839
• Valued free markets and sound finance
• Of all the vulgar arts of government that of
  solving every difficulty which might arise by
  thrusting the hand into the public purse is the
  most derisory and contemptible. (quoted in Evans
  2006, 56)

18
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
4, 2
Support
3, 1
Resign
Hard Budget
Oppose
1 , 3
Accept
Median Tory
Peel
Accept
1 , 3
Oppose
Peel
3 ,1
Resign
Easy Budget
Support
2, 4
19
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Peels Policy Objectives
• Neither Commons nor Lords congenial to Peels
  aims
• The Condition of England Question Increase
  standard of living to undercut lower class
  agitation (Free Trade)
• The Condition of Ireland Question Ensure
  propertied Catholics sided with English Regime
  (Religious Toleration)

20
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Peels Irish Policy
• Considerations of policy, and also of justice,
  demand a liberal and indulgent estimate of the
  claims of such Roman Catholics as abstain from
  political agitation (Jenkins 1998, 118)
• the wit of man could not devise a more
  effectual method for converting them Catholic
  Priests at Maynooth College into sour,
  malignant, demagogues, hostile to the law from
  all the sympathies of low birth and kindred,
  living by agitation, inclined to it and fitted
  for it by our pernicious system of education.
  (Evans 2006, 66)

21
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
Separate
Dissenters (radicals)
Separation of State Church
Whigs
Peel
Irish MPs
Ultras
SQ
Fused
Anti-Catholic
Pro-Catholic
Religious Toleration
22
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Peel Maynooth
• Peel wins on Maynooth, but
• Reliant on moderate Whig support
• Splits Conservatives 149-148
• Wellington uses public order argument in Lords
• We cannot avoid their being Roman Catholics

23
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Peel the Corn Laws
• Probably not a two-dimensional story in Commons
• Whigs, Radicals, and Irish Support Peel
• Splits Conservatives
• Roll-call analysis not obviously two-dimensional

24
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
One-Dimensional Solution
MP with 50 Yea votes 50 No votes
MP with 100 No voting record
MP with 100 Yea voting record
25
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
MP with 50 Yea votes 50 No votes on votes
1-k, votes No on votes k1 to n
Two-Dimensional Solution
MP always votes Yes on votes 1-k, votes Yes
on votes k1 to n
MP always votes No on votes 1-k, votes Yes on
votes k1 to n
26
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Peel the Corn Laws
• A 1-dimensional take-it-or-leave-it model in
  Commons
• Peel is
• Genuinely upset at the human costs of the Irish
  Famine
• Of the view that the Famine can be used to push
  free trade... The remedy is the removal of all
  impediments to the import of all kinds of human
  food that is, the total and absolute repeal for
  ever of all duties on all articles of
  subsistence (Quoted in McLean, 38).

27
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Peel the Corn Laws
• Russell Whigs come out in favour of Repeal (no
  surprise its in their political interests)
• Peels Cabinet is deeply split Peel resigns!
• Secures promises from Wellington and Stanley not
  to form a Protectionist Cabinet. Why are these
  promises credible?

28
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Peel the Corn Laws
• Russell finds he cannot form a Cabinet either
• Peel is the only alternative he returns as PM.
• Median Tory MP knows
• No protectionist alternative
• Its Peel or back to Russell or an election
• Peel can use his agenda power to make a
  take-it-or-leave-it offer to the House

29
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2
Median MP (Tory)
Peel
Status Quo
Free Trade
Protectionist
Any policy proposal within this area is preferred
by median MP to SQ
30
Irish Potatoes British Politics Peel,
Wellington, and the Repeal of the Corn Laws.
McLean, Chapter 2

• Peel the Corn Laws
• A 1-dimensional take-it-or-leave-it model in
  Commons
• In Lords, Wellington uses spectre of
  constitutional crisis to secure passage
• ...and this for the sake of the Queen, the
  religious and other ancient institutions of the
  country... (Quoted in McLean 42)