1836-The State of the Empire, and the political crisis in Westminster palace.
Come the first of January 1836, saw gridlock in the highest branches of government, excluding the Monarch himself. The Whigs have been in power since 1830 and have enforced their liberal ideals in that time, however the appointment of new peers in the new year left a serious problem for the party. The Tory-Conservatives who have united into a loosely aligned electoral block in 1834 now greatly outnumbered the Whig peers in the House of Lords. This was a death knell for any would-be legislation the Whig government had hoped to enact. However unemployment subsidies, a health care system and even universal safety legislation was in place.
As it stands, the Prime Minister and leader of the Whigs William Lamb, the 2nd of Viscount Melbourne informed the house at its first sitting of the new year on the 10th, that he intended to carry on in government despite the crisis in the House of Lords. This led to protests from the conservative/Tory opposition who vowed that legislation would not be passed as long as this lasts.
Prime Minister Lamb
The PM Lamb announced later in the week that he had received offers of military alliances from the Kingdom of Prussia and the Belgian state, which already shared very close links with the UK, in one of the rare agreements cross the benches of both houses in Westminster, so the Anglo-Prussian and Anglo-Belgian alliance treaties where signed with in the first week of Parliament of the new year.
Another sign of the problems facing the liberal government was the recent revelations of government demographic reports showed great support for the conservatives. Also it shows massive population and ethnic imbalance, this would surely be a source of tension in the future, namely in the sub-continent.
The demographics of the British empire
Also on the cards was where the government, weak as it seems send official colonialists to claim as a realm of the empire. North America was the clear option, but where exactly would they be sent? The Tories and conservatives decided to conspire to alter where these would be pioneers head to. The Liberals wished to send them to the British Canada territories of Columbia and Alberta, but the Tories wished to send them to the Washington territory, which was claimed by the United States, but had yet to be settled, this would set the UK in a collision course with the US in colonial matters. Eventually the Whigs concceded and pulled back on efforts for Alberta in favour for Washington. The Whig government was appearing very weak to the public and the King was not at all a supporter of the Whigs.
The North American question
With in the Whig party came some dark suggestions, in order to rebuild some appearance of a stong party to defend the interests of the nation, looked upon 2 independent Indian minors as a source of these. Little known with in Gwalior and Sikkim that there independence is in danger. More clamer heads with in the Whig party did not see how this would solve the question over the conservative heavy house of Lords.
The latest victims of the British political crisis
And finally the Monarch, His Royal Highness William IV had been the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover since 1830, it was through his family that the UK held such close ties to the German kingdom of Hanover. However he was in his late 60's and his niece, Victoria was being groomed for acension to the throne and was rumoured to be in romantic circles with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. It would seem the future of the British Monarchy was intertwined with those of numerous German states, and would found future diplomatic relations with this region.
HRH William IV
