Halkett, George Roland (1855–1918). Their Irish Master. Color lithographic poster. [London]: National Union of Conservative and Constitutional Associations, [1910]. 51 x 76 cm. Some minor repairs; backed with archival mulberry tissue; presents very nicely indeed.

A striking political poster that places the issue of Irish freedom squarely at the centre of the 1910 British general election, featuring caricatures of John Redmond (1856–1918), H. H. Asquith, (1852–1928) David Lloyd George (1863–1945), and Winston Churchill (1874–1965).

In 1909 Asquith’s Liberal Party was plunged into crisis when the House of Lords, dominated by Conservatives, broke with constitutional convention by vetoing the budget. A general elections in January 1910 left Liberals and Conservatives each with 272 seats. An alliance with Labour (42 seats), helped Asquith get closer to the 336 necessary to form a majority, but he was still short of the mark. To form a government, Asquith needed the support of the Irish Parliamentary Party. John Redmond, loyal to the memory of Charles Parnell, made his support conditional on the promise a bill to curb the power of the House of Lords, which had steadfastly opposed every overture to Irish independence. When that bill failed, a second general election was called in December 1910. It yielded similar results. This time Redmond’s price was the promise to introduce a Home Rule bill. Asquith agreed. The bill he formally introduced in April 1912 would lead to a crisis so violent that it almost ignited a civil war.

This poster issued by the Conservative Party depicts Redmond leading the principles of the Liberal Party literally by the nose. In tow are the Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the Home Secretary, their subjugation to an “Irish Master” representing an supposed inversion of proper political relations.