There's a lesson to be learnt here

It is a time of political chaos, when the Government of Britain is wracked by internal divisions and factions. Cabinet meetings are characterised by open hostility and serial resignations, and the Prime Minister seems to stand back and watch the fighting so as not to alienate one faction or another. The issues being argued about are Britain’s place in the world and it’s trading relations with other countries – issues that are essentially economic but which have become lost beneath a jingoistic cloak of patriotism and colonialism. Leading politicians involved in the struggle change positions with alarming regularity, creating confusion amongst their supporters and a degree of dismay amongst the wider electorate. It will all eventually end in political tears for many of the people involved.

Sounds familiar? A synopsis of Mrs May's Tories? Wrong! It was, in fact, the Summer of 1903. Joseph Chamberlain – a champion of Liberal free trade who had recently become a convert to the idea of tariffs and Imperial Preference – had resigned from the Government. Whilst he was no longer a member of the cabinet, he was still a powerful political player and his son, Austen Chamberlain, remained in the cabinet to represent his cause. The Prime Minister, Arthur Balfour, content to stand back and try to gauge which way the wind was blowing, was rendered useless and went on to lose the General Election in 1906. Now, historians tend to look back on the events of 1903 and ask, “What on earth was it all about?” When the country should have been concentrating on modernising its industrial structure and improving the social conditions of its population, it wasted its time with a sterile argument between politicians who were championing their own fanciful ideas. Sounds familiar? 

I am not trying to suggest that current events are an exact repeat of the ridiculous arguments of 115 years ago. But surely there are lessons there to be learnt. Unfortunately, ego, vanity and incompetence prevent this from happening.

And the cartoon at the top? I'm not sure I can decipher all the code on Chamberlain's bedfellow's caps. I think I get the references to admiralty, monarchy, Irish, Indian, and High Street. But the ladies nightcap next to Joseph escapes me. I guess you had to be there and have knowledge of the events political to understand the meaning. And did both Chamberlains really wear monocles? Does anyone know?