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After the Phoenix Park murders, there was a bit of a hiatus in Parnell’s campaign for Irish Home Rule, while he consolidated his grip on the movement, guiding it firmly into the path of constitutionalism and away from violence. Meanwhile, Gladstone brought in an act to relieve tenant arrears in Ireland, the counterpart to Parnell’s work for pacification within the context of the tacit agreement that got him out of prison and came to be known as the ‘Kilmainham Treaty’. Salisbury, for the Conservatives, decided to make a stand against the Arrears Bill. At first, he seemed to be strongly placed, with firm support within the party. But as it became clear that there’d be government money for landlords with tenants in arrears, his backing began to drop away until, leaving him isolated and forced to let the bill through. That weakened him in his competition with Stafford Northcote for the Conservative leadership. Away from Ireland, Britain plunged into some tricky and unfortunate adventures abroad. The First Boer War in South Africa led to humiliating defeat. Then, following a successful campaign to take control in Egypt, General Gordon’s mission into Sudan left him beaten and dead. Gladstone’s failure to rescue him led to his nickname of GOM (Grand Old Man) giving way to MOG (Murderer of Gordon). Not a good look for a politician soon to campaign for re-election. Illustration: General Gordon’s Last Stand. Public Domain.Music: Bach Partita #2c by J Bu licensed under an Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives (aka Music Sharing) 3.0 International License.