The Liberal Strategy

By 1879 the repeal movement was stagnating: its parliamentary strategy was no more than the annual repetition of forlorn repeal bills, and in the country Josephine Butler pessimistically noted a falling off in activity – though with the excuse that ‘bad times like the present, are always unfavourable to social movements for reform, and our cuase is no exception to this rule’. ¹ Paradoxically it was the government which came to the rescue. When C.H. Hopwood got up to move the first attack of the session (against the army estimates on 17 March) the government replied by promising a select committee to look into the Acts’ operation. When the committee was appointed on 11 June 1879 both Stansfeld and Johnstone were members, and so felt debarred from going on with the annual repeal bill which was withdrawn at the end of July. ²