1906-14

Liberals 400 seats

Conservatives 157

Conservatives weakened:

• boer war - caused moral panic and costs of war
• 1902 education- people didnt want to pay for other schools
• 1904 licensing - closed pub hours
• chinese labour - public outcry over conditions and whether theyd be replaced.
• taff vale 1901 - made it impossible to strike
• neglect of reform
• tariff reform - people didnt want the policy.

Liberal attractions:

• free trade
• Irish home rule

Lib-Lab pact:

• 1903 agreement with labour
• libs not oppose in 30 constituencies
• LRC restricted candidates to prevent a split in votes against conservatives

Liberals agreed:

• 150,000 fund
• agreed on policies

Classic Liberalism:

• laissez faire
• low tax

New Liberalism:

• state intervention
• safety nets for society
• higher government spending

Reasons for New Liberalism:

• population trebled due to urbanisation
• fear of disorder
• Booth and Rowntree -52% of poverty frequently employed
• lack of industrial progress

1906 Education Act:

• 1914 - 14 million free meals
• only 50% LEAs providing free meals

1907 Education Act:

• medical inspection set a minimum health care
• 3/4 providing treatment
• 2.3 free treatment

1908 Old Age Pensions:

• 5s a week single and 7s 6d for married
• paid by state through post office
• paid from general tax
• only for elderly poor and sliding scale made it hard to judge

1911 National Insurance (unemployment):

• covered 2 million workers 
• 7s for 15 weeks benefit
• only for certain trades - shipbuilding not covered

1911 National Insurance (sickness):

• covered 13 million workers
• 10s for 13 weeks and 5 s a further 13
• only covered those on less than 160 a year
• 16-60
• only for contributor - not family

Peoples Budget:

• LG wanted 16 million for social reforms
• opposition to labour and wanted working class vote
• punish conservatives for opposition in Lords

Proposed:

• increase income tax
• super tax (5000+)
• increased death duties (5000+)
• indirect tax on luxuries
• land taxes

what happened:

• 1909 - Lords vetoed due to outrage on land tax
• Liberals 1910 election 'peers vs people' - 275 seats

1911 Parliament act:

• House of Lords have no power of veto
• couldnt amend or reject bills
• maximum period elections to 5 years

what happened:

• George V tried to get compromise
• Asquith under irish pressure to reject conservative proposals
• George V would make new peers if Liberals won an election on the issue

December 1910 election:

• Libs and Cons 272 seats EACH
• Libs relied on irish and Labour
• divided conservatives
• Balfour resigned

For Home Rule:

• irish nationalisats - fear of civil war
• bill due to be law 1914 - WW1 averted and didnt resolve

Opposition:

• Ulster richer and didnt want tax to fund rural Ireland
• Cons feared it undermined UK status
• Curragh Mutiny 1914 - 30,000 rifles smuggled unionists, Bonar Law offered support - British troops threatened to resign
• Easter rising 1916 - 1000 rebels Irish volunteers seized post-office Dublin, hoped for German support, fighting spread, 2600 injuries over 400 deaths. rising a failure, condemned by Redmond, Irish support changed due to British action has 7 individuals tried and shot.

The issue:

• 19th century - little progress
• Asquith opposed
• social reforms took the time
• not all women supported

pressures:

• 1897 NUWSS - MIlicent Fawcett - non-violent. 1914 - 500,000 members
• WSPU 1903 - Emmeline Pankhurst - militant, between 1911-1914 arson, assault and strikes of hunger

1914 - little resolved

Reasons:

• By 1912 - 14% living increase
• 1910 - unemployment falling
• gap between classes more evident

war broke out 1914 and halted issues.