Chapter The Home Rule Movement of Irish Politics - Study Guide by History

Rule the Gladstonian government was offering - there were fears it would become a Liberal cover-up and only lead to nominal independence for Ireland

The stumbling block in 1886 was the clause denying Irish representation at Westminster and 'imperial dues' Ireland would have to pay, provoking the Irish into declaring a familiar tune to British governments, "No taxation without representation". From the wrangling over imperial dues it became apparent that the Irish Parliament would be left with a paltry sum of money, inadequate to competently address Ireland's long list of reforms. In essence the Irish realised if they accepted the terms of Home Rule offered in 1886 it would amount to a travesty for Irish independence. Gladstone's Bill attracted scathing criticism from a number of quarters

Renewed violence in Ireland was met with stern government under the new Conservative Chief Secretary, Arthur Balfour's "kicks and kindness" policy. Balfour quickly earned himself the cognomens "Bloody Balfour", but his Criminal Amendment Act (1887) was tempered by a relaxation of the Coercion Act in 1890 and a Land Purchase Bill (which advocated complete financial assistance for Irish tenants over 49 years).

This atmosphere of a continued "blinkered" approach of the British government to Ireland saw the conclusion of Parnell's political career. In 1887 The Times published a series of (forged) letters implicating Parnell in the Phoenix Park Murders of 1882. It is believed this may have been a conspiracy of English politicians to remove the IPP from hindering the business of the Westminster Parliament. Although Parnell's innocence was established in court, an investigation uncovered evidence he and other Irish MPs of the IPP had actively encouraged Irish Catholics to withhold rents and harvest and incite agrarian violence. Parnell escaped this but would not emerge unscathed from the scandal over the O'Shea Divorce in 1890 as he was named as the correspondent, having lived with Kitty O'Shea for a number of years. The fate of Dilke in 1886 in similar circumstances illustrated the inevitable outcome for Parnell. Gladstone had been able to overlook the events of 1887 but this time his religious and moral principles gave him no choice but to abandon Parnell, stating 'I fear a thunder-cloud is about to burst over Parnell's head, and I suppose it will be the end of the career of a man in many respects invaluable.'

Parnell wanted to weather the political storm but the scandal caused a split in the IPP, most Irish MPs going over to Justin McCarthy, and the remaining Parnellites to John Redmond.