"The noble Earl had alluded to the propriety of effecting Parliamentary Reform. The noble Earl had, however, been candid enough to acknowledge that he was not prepared with any measure of reform, and he could have no scruple in saying that his Majesty's Government was as totally unprepared with any plan as the noble Lord. Nay, he, on his own part, would go further, and say, that he had never read or heard of any measure up to the present moment which could in any degree satisfy his mind that the state of the representation could be improved, or be rendered more satisfactory to the country at large than at the present moment... He was fully convinced that the country possessed at the present moment a Legislature which answered all the good purposes of legislation, and this to a greater degree than any Legislature ever had answered in any country whatever. He would go further and say, that the Legislature and the system of representation possessed the full and entire confidence of the country—deservedly possessed that confidence—and the discussions in the Legislature had a very great influence over the opinions of the country. He would go still further and say, that if at the present moment he had imposed upon him the duty of forming a Legislature for any country, and particularly for a country like this, in possession of great property of various descriptions, he did not mean to assert that he could form such a Legislature as they possessed now, for the nature of man was incapable of reaching such excellence at once; but his great endeavour would be, to form some description of legislature which would produce the same results. The representation of the people at present contained a large body of the property of the country, and in which the landed interests had a preponderating influence. Under these circumstances, he was not prepared to bring forward any measure of the description alluded to by the noble Lord. He was not only not prepared to bring forward any measure of this nature, but he would at once declare that as far as he was concerned, as long as he held any station in the government of the country, he should always feel it his duty to resist such measures when proposed by others."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Prime Ministers of the United KingdomAnglicans from the United KingdomPeople from DublinMilitary leaders from the United KingdomConservative Party (UK) politicians
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Speech in the House of Lords (2 November 1830)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Wellesley%2C_1st_Duke_of_Wellington
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was a British soldier and statesman. Rising to prominence during the Peninsular War, he became a national hero in Britain after the Napoleonic Wars during which he led the victorious Anglo-Allied forces at the Battle of Waterloo. He later became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on two separate occasions.
76 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington →
Related Quotes
"Depend upon it, Sir, nothing will come of them!"
"There is no mistake; there has been no mistake; and there shall be no mistake."
"For this is England’s greatest son, He that gain'd a hundred fights, Nor ever lost an English gun."
"If you believe that you will believe anything."
"You must build your House of Parliament on the river: so... that the populace cannot exact their demands by sitting d…"
"I have seen their backs before, madam."
"I believe I forgot to tell you I was made a Duke."
"Napoleon has humbugged me, by God; he has gained twenty-four hours' march on me."
"Who will attack first tomorrow? I or Bonaparte? -Bonaparte. -Well, Bonaparte has not given me any idea of his project…"
"I should have given more praise."