Tories levelling down Britain 1799 to 1868 block all reforms.

The French Revolution set in motion reforms that benefitted every country in Western Europe except one, Britain. Before the revolution, William Pitt was disposed to modest reform. A new small professional and educated middle class had emerged and they wanted a say in things. The revolution and the changes it was bringing to Europe put paid to any reform in Britain.

Britain was ruled by a corrupt nobility and cabal of large gentlemen landowners with the King at the top of the dung heap. They were scared to death of any change, let alone revolutionary change in Britain.

The Whigs wanted reform but the ruling elite turned to the Tories to block all attempts and to keep the corrupt system firmly in place.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/pm_and_pol_tl_01.shtml list of pms

Who were the writers seeking change?

Although a member of the Whig party Edmund Burke was a conservative. He led the defence of Britain against any changes due to the revolution. He was afraid that reform might escalate and lead to revolutionary change in Britain. Burke and his conservative comrades were afraid of the change to property rights and any loosening of rigid social class division.

But trade and industry must be putting pressure for change on the Tories?

There was no possibility of reform during the conflict with France from 1783 to 1815.

The Tory party aided by conservative minded whigs like Burke controlled parliament during the French Revolution, the war with France and the period following.

Even after Waterloo when the war was won the Tories were entrenched in the corrupt social, economic a political system in Britain. It was more or less the same as the ancient regime the French Revolution had displaced. The reason was an unadulterated self interest of the ruling class. The structure of British society was grossly unequal with definite and pronounced discrimination across all sections.

Power and political representation 1815 to 1830

Britain was ruled by the aristocracy, large landowning gentry and the monarch. Parliament was a sop to this class. The monarch could still appoint ministers. Elections, such as they were and where a semblance of democracy existed were subjected to bribery, threats and corruption. The monarch sat on top of a dung heap that was holding back Britain.

Britain was ruled by the titled aristocracy and landed gentry. They claimed Britain was a democracy but this was far from reality. The ruling elite promulgated the idea that Britain was a land of local self government. Other countries around the world believed it and copied the model.

In the county based local government, the nobility and gentry filled all the important positions. The same applied to the boroughs. Just beneath the nobility and landed gentry was a squirearchy of local squires who maintain the order at the local level.

The national government was made up almost entirely of nobility, gentry and their representatives.

The House of Lords was made up entirely of large landowners. Large landowners were at the very heart of Britain's ruling class. It was considered logical that these men have such a vested interest that they would act in the countries best interest and so were the best choice to run the country.

The House of Commons was supposed to represent the 'commoners' but it didn't.

In 1815 the House of Commons had 658 members.

489 England

100 Ireland

45 Scotland

24 Wales

There were three types of constituencies, counties, boroughs and universities. Counties and boroughs sent two members regardless of population or size.

Industrial growth, changes in agriculture and international trade were changing the demographics of Britain but this was not reflected in the political representation. For example, Scotland had 45 members and a population of 3 million. Cornwall had 44 members and a population in the thousands.

In order to vote a man had to have land that yielded an income of 40 shillings a year or more. This led to a very restricted tight knit group of men who could vote. Less than 3000 of the 3 million population of Scotland were entitled to vote.

The boroughs were even worse than the counties.

Boroughs returned 467 members and landowners had even more influence on who was elected, to the extent that members were chosen in reality.

there were three types of borough

Nomination

Rotten

Close

Each returned two members.

Nomination borough members were chosen by the patron. There might not be anyone living in a nomination borough and the borough of Dunwich was under the sea but still returned two members.

Rotten borough members were chosen by the Corporation.

Close boroughs had a semblance of democracy but with only 50 or so voters they were easily influenced.

Large and growing cities like Manchester and Birmingham had no representation.