Chapter 1997: Chapter 178: Counteroffensive in Progress (Part 2)
Of course, the members of the House of Lords are far less courteous in speech compared to Peel. According to their original words, it is: "If MPs rely on salary to live, they will serve only for wages, not for the country."
Actually, the opinions of the Lords are not entirely without reason, because political figures like Viscount Melbourne and Earl of Dalmo, who are wealthy, do indeed rarely make mistakes in economic matters. Of course, those with strong material desires like Viscount Palmeston and Viscount Godric are another matter.
After all, even among the nobility, there are wealth disparities.
In Britain, the gap between those impoverished nobles and wealthy ones like Earl of Dalmo is actually wider than between impoverished nobles and beggars.
And the political differences among wealthy nobles are as vast as between Agares and Baal.
Although Viscount Melbourne is the leader of the Whig Party, a reform party leader who rises to power, in reality, he is a Conservative.
He does not like the Parliamentary Reform Act, just as he himself said, he finally accepted the Reform Bill as an "inevitable evil". But ironically, the Reform Bill is the very foundation for the existence of a Whig Party government.
His suspicious nature makes it difficult for him to trust any form of reform, he always believes that keeping things as they are is the best. Or rather, not the best, but is always not bad.
Education is nothing but futile, educating the poor is absolutely dangerous.
Children of workers?
Oh, please, just let them be!
Free trade is a scam, electoral votes are nonsense.
As for democracy?
There is no such thing.
However, Viscount Melbourne can hardly be classified as a 19th-century reactionary.
If you insist, he is an opportunist.
In Viscount Melbourne’s view, the entire responsibility of the government is "to prevent crime, protect contracts".
As the leader of the government, the only thing that’s really expected is just to maintain it.
Of course, although his political views are rather reconciliatory, only in terms of reconciliation, he performs quite admirably.
Even though he dislikes reforms, if the party insists on passing them, to avoid large-scale conflict and division within the party, he continuously compromises.
Along with mental swings and contradictions, combined with quite affable social skills and adept recruiting abilities, he casually handles court affairs, even managing to balance the strong-willed colleagues like Palmerston under his mediation.
When many government officials come forward to report work, often they find him sitting on a messy bed, surrounded by various books and documents. Alternatively, they discover him in the dressing room, absentmindedly shaving.
Many might initially get angry, but over time they slowly accept such reporting style, as everyone knows, this is a Prime Minister who can nap soundly during Cabinet meetings; he is just that carefree.
Moreover, if one day the Prime Minister suddenly starts earnestly questioning them about some issues, it would instead put them in a state of confusion, as if facing a great enemy.
Even Victoria, who has only been in contact with Viscount Melbourne for less than a month, quickly accepted his character traits, even becoming quite curious about them.
For example, this Prime Minister surprisingly never wore a watch, reasoning that he hated being constrained by time.
Furthermore, when this nearly 60-year-old man sees a crow circling in the treetops, signaling imminent rain, he can sit under a tree for an hour, and he expressed his incomprehension of Victoria’s dislike for crows, bluntly stating, "I like crows, what’s wrong with this animal?"
In short, he is a 19th-century political figure with remnants of 18th-century languid aristocratic temperament. In some sense, if Talleyrand were to partner with Viscount Melbourne, they might get along very well.
And perhaps this is why Viscount Melbourne enjoys staying at Buckingham Palace, spending long periods by the Queen’s side.
After all, compared to tedious government work, he prefers court life with 18th-century aristocratic colors, and until he was 58 years old, he finally had the opportunity to put into practice the various court political skills he learned from his mother during his youth.
If he did not genuinely enjoy this job and remained with his old-fashioned monarchic notions, simply based on Viscount Melbourne’s current power and stature, he wouldn’t need to pay much attention to the Queen, nor stay at the side of this increasingly unruly young girl after her enthronement.
In terms of not indulging the Queen, Conservative Party Leader Sir Robert Peel is a representative.
Though a leader of the Conservative Party, perhaps not being from an aristocratic background, Peel’s attitude towards the Queen is hardly better than towards George IV and King William IV, even a few days ago, when Victoria publicly announced her Household Lady list, Peel couldn’t help but lose his temper.
Because Victoria not only opposed the court customs implemented during Queen Anne’s period, resolutely advocated that the Inner Court only needed a chief lady, eight senior Inner Court Ladies, eight Inner Court Ladies, and eight court maids.
Moreover, due to this young lady being long confined within the Kensington System, she lacks many female friends in aristocratic circles, so she fully adopted Viscount Melbourne’s recommended list, appointing Marchioness of Lansdowne as Her Majesty’s First Lady, Duchess of Sutherland as the Chief Lady in Waiting, besides, Duchess of Bedford, Countess of Charlemont, Lady Littleton, and others also entered the Queen’s Inner Court.
According to Disraeli, when this list was announced, Peel, rarely, slammed the table in front of many Conservatives at the Carlton Club, blatantly saying this is a nakedly partisan personnel arrangement, with no regard for Conservative’s dignity.
"If Her Majesty wishes to turn Buckingham Palace into a Whig Party club, then we are not mere decorations here."
Unlike most expectations, Peel, usually considered gentle, was persuaded by the outspoken Duke of Wellington.
However, it’s understandable why Peel blew up because the appointment list of the Inner Court is indeed like a slap to the face of the Conservatives.
Who would have thought that the Lady appointment list, it all consists of wives or daughters of Whig Party ministers or MPs, not even someone with a seemingly neutral attitude like Miss Flora Hastings can be found.
Peel, after all, is a 19th-century political figure, as a leader starting from the Lower House, in his view, even though the Queen is still young, she should act cautiously, treat both parties impartially, rather than, at the beginning of her reign, handing over her Inner Court completely to the wives of Whig Party members.
Moreover, he doesn’t believe Victoria is so unaware of these basic political principles either.
The entrance of Carlton Club was filled with four-wheel carriages and coachmen, the pair of Corinthian columns in front still stood straight and tall, surrounded by black iron railings, faintly exuding a cold and distant aura of rejection.
Upon opening the door, what greeted him was a scent combining cigars, coal fires, and thick woolen cloth.
In the hall, several Conservative Party MPs were talking in low voices in groups of two or three, and when they saw Arthur entering, a momentary flash of astonishment and bewilderment appeared in their eyes.
After all, this was a Conservative territory, and Arthur’s reputation as a favorite of the Queen had already spread in Parliament and on the newspapers.
Choosing this time to come, is he here to provoke, or to mediate?
Arthur remained calm, merely nodded to a few familiar MPs, then proceeded straight to the study on the second floor.
There, the atmosphere was even more solemn, the fireplace ablaze, flames flickering with the lighting from copper wall lamps.
Peel was standing with his hands behind his back by the window, outside was the dense twilight of St. James Park.
He clearly hadn’t fully calmed his anger, his brow furrowed, his gaze sharp as if ready at any moment to enter the palace and interrogate the Queen.
"Arthur." Peel turned around, his voice restrained, yet carrying a tangible coldness, "Your visit today, I suppose not merely for some idle chatter?"
