"The real fact was that he had been too tied to Gladstonian chains ever since he had taken a prominent part in politics. It commenced with the Midlothian campaign; he had been bound to Mr. G. for the next 16 years; and then was left with the thankless task of acting as Mr. G.'s political executor and of winding up his political estate. He could stand it no longer: he wanted to start with a tabula rasa; and to put him in the position of doing this, he was bound to take a very drastic step. It would not have done for him to have made the speech he did, and then left it to the Liberal party to follow him or not as they pleased. The Liberal party had touched low enough water after the crash in last year's General Election; but he believed it must touch still lower water, before it emerged with anything like credit."
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Prime Ministers of the United KingdomLiberal Party (UK) politiciansAnglicans from the United KingdomPeople from LondonUniversity of Oxford alumni
Original Language: English
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Sources
Edward Walter Hamilton, diary entry (16 October 1896), quoted in The Diary of Sir Edward Walter Hamilton, 1885–1906, ed. Dudley W. R. Bahlman (1993), p. 330
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Archibald_Primrose%2C_5th_Earl_of_Rosebery
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Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
1847 – 1851
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery (7 May 1847 – 21 May 1929) was a British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister, also known as Archibald Primrose (1847–1851) and Lord Dalmeny (1851–1868).
30 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery →
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