The Lion and the Unicorn: Gladstone vs Disraeli

by Richard Aldous

Gladstone was a great actor on the stage, then he was also a shrewd manager behind the scenes. From the beginning his visits to various provincial cities were carefully planned to extract the maximum advantage. The pattern, established early on, rarely changed. Visits usually lasted three or four days. Whatever his popular appeal, he would inevitably stay in lavish comfort at the house of a local aristocrat or wealthy magnate to escape the public eye. The first day or so was spent inspecting factories and poor urban quarters. In the evening, Gladstone would be the guest of honour at large dinner parties for the rich and well connected, at which he would hold forth, or ‘converse’, on the great issues of the day. Then on the third evening came a grandstanding address at the biggest venue available, such as the Free Trade Hall in Manchester. Having brought events to fever pitch, Gladstone would conclude the visit with a triumphal civic event – perhaps a speech on the steps of the town hall, or a special service of thanksgiving at the cathedral – before boarding his train for a tumultuous send-off by cheering fans crowded on to the station platform. All in all, it was guaranteed to be quite a performance.