14 - Reform and revolution

Summary

While frequently calling for a considerable expenditure of physical and emotional resources, the affairs of the Royal Family did not constitute the only demand upon Eldon's time. Neither was his attention exclusively focused upon keeping himself and his colleagues in office, whatever the opposition might complain. On the contrary, during his twenty-five years as Lord Chancellor, Eldon played a prominent part in what might be described as the regular political business of the government and Parliament. While he liked to play down his abilities as a politician, he participated fully in parliamentary debates, whether to support government legislation, to challenge the proposals of the opposition, or to steer back-bench initiatives into channels helpful to the former and awkward for the latter. In order to examine and assess this aspect of Eldon's political character, it makes sense to focus on his conduct with respect to a particular issue. Reform of the criminal law is appropriate for this purpose. Not only was criminal law an important object of government and opposition legislative programmes during the first decades of the nineteenth century, but it held a particular attraction for Eldon as a former public prosecutor and present royal adviser. Before turning to the specific question of the proper nature and structure of the criminal law, however, it is necessary to examine Eldon's attitude toward legislative reform in general.