BRITISH CONSERVATISM AND THE PRIMROSE LEAGUE ... - ideals

Resolutions in support of the Established Church were also passed on a
300
number of occasions.
In 1893 a resolution was passed supporting a
speech delivered by Balfour in the House of Commons which opposed Welsh
Disestablishment.
The following year a similar motion was endorsed.
Members of the Habitation also backed Balfour's Education bill,
particularly the provisions protecting voluntary schooling and the
maintenance of religious instruction.6?
Nevertheless, while
ecclesiastical
issues appeared to play a prominent role in the
political topics addressed by Thornbury, their scope was largely
confined to issues of interest to the Primrose League: opposition to
Home Rule, resistance to disestablishment, and the promotion of
voluntary
education.
The operations of the SGC were distinguished by three factors.
First and foremost there was the difficulty of maintaining the vitality
of the Primrose League in a region dominated by Liberal politics.
Secondly, the SGC differentiated itself from other local and regional
bodies by maintaining an unusual degree of autonomy from the Central
Office.
Finally, despite this relative freedom, tensions surfaced
periodically between the two organizations.
From its inception, the SGC appears to have been plagued with
problems stemming from the relatively small numbers of Habitations in
Scotland and the minority status accorded Conservative politics north
of the border.
Hardman's letters to Salisbury and Northcote in January
of 1886 hints at the problems encountered.
"In spite of many
67
Thornbury Habitation Minutes, 30 April 1889; 7 March 1891;
6 February 1892; 8 July 1893; 5 May 1894; 28 November 1902.