Tower and Town, May 2016 (view the full edition)William Pitt The Younger"Oh how I leave my country" - the last words of William Pitt the Younger - a patriotic liberal and not a reactionary conservative. Although often characterised as a reactionary Conservative by Modern Liberals, it is a firm belief of mine that Pitt was liberal. The youngest Prime Minister of all time, he came to office in 1783, aged 24, liberalising the British economy that was on its knees having just lost the American Colonies. This included a National Debt which was 20 times the Government's annual revenue in 1783. Pitt attempted electoral reform in 1785 although it would take until 1832 to gain it. At the age of 26, he was already ahead of the political sentiments of his time. Pitt pioneered the liberal cause in the early days of the French Revolution claiming that "The Present Convulsions in France," as he told the House, "must sooner or later culminate in general harmony and regular order, and thus circumstanced France will stand forth as one of the most brilliant Powers of Europe. She will enjoy just that kind of liberty which I venerate." Pitt only declared war on France once France had declared war on Britain in the heat of the Jacobin Terror which killed 20,000 people in Paris alone. Pitt died whilst in office. Having already resigned in 1800 over his favouring of Catholic Emancipation - a bold and liberal move - he came back in 1804 and died in 1806 having laid the economic and liberal foundations on which Britain would defeat the oppressive Napoleonic France. He was a true liberal and patriot and does not deserve the reactionary and conservative label that he is often given. Toby Wyles (Marlborough College) |
Pitt transformed Britain's economic status by lowering and in some cases eliminating repressive taxation on trade and businesses such as the tea tax which he reduced from 119% to 25% and replacing them with progressive taxes on luxuries such as taxes on hearths, windows, gloves and even wig powder tax. If individuals didn't want to pay the tax, they didn't have the luxury. These measures lifted Britain out of its economic turmoil. Pitt would continue to be inventive in his economic policy - income tax was raised for the first time in 1797 in order to keep up with the demands of the War.