Heavy History British Elections Series

Luke Blaxill and Taym Saleh

A series of after dinner chats between Oxbridge historians about British General Elections through time, from 1868 to present day. We cover one election per episode. Dr. Luke Blaxill (Hertford, Oxford) and Mr. Taym Saleh (Queens', Cambridge) are amongst the most eminent historians of British Electoral Politics in the world, having authored more than twenty books and articles on the subject, and having been featured on TV and Radio. Dr. Blaxill's Twitter: @BlaxillLuke Dr. Blaxill's Website: www.lukeblaxill.com/ Mr. Saleh's Twitter: @TaymSaleh

Episodes

  1. 05/11/2021

    British Elections Series Ep5: '1886: The Irish Question'

    A series of after-dinner chats between Oxbridge academics about British General Elections through time, from 1868 to present day.   EPISODE 5: '1886: THE IRISH QUESTION'   Dr. Luke Blaxill (Hertford College, Oxford)  and Mr. Taym Saleh (Queen's College, Cambridge) discus the 1886 General Election, which was detonated by the Irish Home Rule Crisis. Irish nationalism's star had been ascending rapidly since 1874, but enter Charles Stewart Parnell- the man who galvanised the movement and gave it new electoral, parliamentary, and ideological coherence. In 1886, Gladstone suddenly proposed Irish Home Rule (giving Dublin its own Parliament) which caused a colossal split in the Liberal Party,  leading to the defeat of the bill and a snap general election dominated by the Irish Question.   The 1886 election was a crucial turning point in the history of Irish nationalism, and by extension eventual Irish partition four decades later. It was crucial for the the Liberal Party, whose mid Victorian dominance was abruptly ended.   And for the Conservatives, who became - in what proved an enduring alliance with the Liberal defectors - the Unionists. That Unionist Alliance became the dominant force in British elections moving forwards- a status the Conservative and Unionist Party (to give it its full name) has never really lost to this day.   Dr. Blaxill and Mr. Saleh are amongst the most eminent historians of British Electoral Politics in the world, having authored more than twenty books and articles on the subject, and having been featured on TV and Radio.  Follow Dr. Blaxill on Twitter @BlaxillLuke Visit Dr. Blaxill's Website: www.lukeblaxill.com/  Follow Mr. Saleh on Twitter: @TaymSaleh

    British Elections Series Ep5: '1886: The Irish Question'
  2. 03/08/2021

    British Elections Series Ep4: '1885: Joseph Chamberlain & the New Democracy'

    A series of after-dinner chats between Oxbridge academics about British General Elections through time, from 1868 to present day.   EPISODE 4: 'JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN & THE NEW DEMOCRACY' Dr. Luke Blaxill (Hertford College, Oxford)  and Mr. Taym Saleh (Queen's College, Cambridge) discus the 1885 General Election, which was the first election to be held after the landmark 1883-85 electoral reforms which reshaped the British system to something approaching a mass democracy. Step forwards two new titans of late Victorian politics, Joseph Chamberlain - the 'new man' who sought to harness the new democracy to power his vision of municipal socialism. And Lord Salisbury - the old aristocrat who had mastered the modern arts to meet the challenge thrown down by the radical gauntlet.   Dr. Blaxill and Mr. Saleh discuss the role of corrupt practice in elections (and the attempt to eliminate it) and the massive contemporary question of extending the franchise to the rustic and unsophisticated agricultural labourers. They then turn to Chamberlain's 'Unauthorised Programme' of 1885 and its associated red-hot radical contents: wealth and land tax, free education, land reform, and the Disestablishment of the Church of England.   Dr. Blaxill and Mr. Saleh are amongst the most eminent historians of British Electoral Politics in the world, having authored more than twenty books and articles on the subject, and having been featured on TV and Radio.   Follow Dr. Blaxill on Twitter @BlaxillLuke Visit Dr. Blaxill's Website: www.lukeblaxill.com/  Follow Mr. Saleh on Twitter: @TaymSaleh

    British Elections Series Ep4: '1885: Joseph Chamberlain & the New Democracy'

About

A series of after dinner chats between Oxbridge historians about British General Elections through time, from 1868 to present day. We cover one election per episode. Dr. Luke Blaxill (Hertford, Oxford) and Mr. Taym Saleh (Queens', Cambridge) are amongst the most eminent historians of British Electoral Politics in the world, having authored more than twenty books and articles on the subject, and having been featured on TV and Radio. Dr. Blaxill's Twitter: @BlaxillLuke Dr. Blaxill's Website: www.lukeblaxill.com/ Mr. Saleh's Twitter: @TaymSaleh