ABSTRACT
After over a decade of Thatcherism, during which time Victorian values' had become almost a Tory rallying cry, it was remarkable to see the arch-Victorian William Gladstone being identified as a suitable model for the Left. Traditional Victorian liberalism was a creed of gradual constitutional reform, combined with classical political economy, free trade and the notions of self-help and individual freedom as basic principles defining the relationship between state and society. In fact, in Gladstone's days as prime minister, government intervention was becoming increasingly popular with the Liberals. From the 1850s, generations of economists and civil servants started to study how such emergencies could be managed in future and government practice was amended accordingly. Clarke also highlights a further dimension of the Gladstonian legacy, the self-righteousness of the conviction politician, especially one like Lloyd George, who had been directly exposed to the magnetism and religious appeal which emanated from the Grand Old Man.
