Decline began in the 1880s, although it did not immediately show its inexorable face. It was propelled by the forces of democracy: the doubling of the size of the electorate meant that the social status quo could not hold. The 1881 Irish Land Act gave far greater rights to tenants. The 1909 ‘People’s Budget’ imposed British land taxes. When the House of Lords made trouble over it, Lloyd George simply took them on and cut their powers. ‘Oh these dukes,’ he said, ‘how they oppress us.’
