Gladstone versus Disraeli?

I voted for Gladstone, I had read somewhere that he was interested in the welfare of prostitutes of London and he never grovelled to the queen.

Both contributed to the development of the modern UK, and were fine prime ministers; for me it's very difficult to say that one was better than the other. Having read biographies of the two, I found Disraeli much more appealing as a person, so I've voted for him, but for the wrong reason.

Disraeli for me .
He got on very well with Queen Victoria and was an important figure to her after the death of Albert.

I think both were impressive men in their diffent ways. Gladstone was sounder on Ireland. As a politician I suppose I prefer Gladstone really, but if I had met Disreali I would probably have been charmed by him, he had a way with women.

Gladstone had a much more coherent and positive policy towards Ireland.

^^ Disraeli had a much more positive policy toward British interests.

pikeshot1600 said:

^^ Disraeli had a much more positive policy toward British interests.

Click to expand...

Arguably, but being "equal partners" in a union at that time, it could be said that it was neither better nor worse to serve one member nation's interest over the other...

GLADSTONE - I have the greatest admiration for any C19th English PM who could say, "My mission is to pacify Ireland", without pacify being a euphemism to exterminate or mulct Catholic landowners. (My real name is Patrick Francis Domenico Xavio Leonard - I reserve the right to opine on this matter).

I have a particular disdain for the crackpots and cynics of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Therefore Gladstone scores again if Queen Vicki's having the, "... greatest possible disinclination to take this half-crazy and in many ways ridiculous old man." (on his third go as PM) is correct. (Parliament had a problem with her having wanted to make her hubbie Prince Albert of, you guessed it, Saxe etc. co-monarch and heaped many indignities upon her 1st Cousin/Husband.)

Why not Disraeli? Too occupied with English affairs for a later C19th PM and didn't give a fiddler's fart for Ireland which he indirectly re-beggared with his refusal to protect British and Irish agriculture in order to provide the cheap, imported food to feed the great British Unwashed.

Hail Caesar! This diverts my ageing attention from Everybody Loves Raymond re-runs but mid-C19th British Parliamentary politics are mind boggling and your questions is vexed. The Party system existed but was flexible. At one point Disraeli was eager to co-opt Gladstone's services in the post-Palmerston years.

I'll go for Disraeli although both were great men. Gladstone tended to be naive in terms of international affairs and preferred social reform. He was however a little suspect in his attempts to 'save' the ...... of the night in the East End

To me, Gladstone did a lot more in terms of social reforms than Disraeli....