When they came in February, the results of the election were inconclusive. The massive majority the Liberals had achieved in 1906 was catastrophically reduced to the point that Asquith was compelled to parley with Labour and the Irish Nationalists to face down the Conservatives. The number of seats held by Labour had increased to forty, but it was the Irish, with nearly double, who had the whip hand. Committed to Home Rule for Ireland – for decades, one of the most insoluble issues in British politics – they threatened to vote with the Conservatives unless a Bill was introduced that would
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