In the evening, at Swansea, Mr. Goschen devoted himself to
proving that the Home-rule programme in its revised form really means that the Constitution must be taken to pieces. If the Irish Members, having a Parliament of their own for settling (say) Irish education, were to determine the principles of Scotch education by their votes in the Parliament at West- minster, it is simply preposterous to deny that the Scotch would kick against such injustice, and would demand a Parliament of their own too, to settle the principles of their own education ; and so it would and must happen that Home-rule for Ireland would involve Home-rale for Scotland and for Wales ; and then you must invent not only an Irish Parliament and Executive, but two or three other Parliaments and Executives, all of them jostling each other, and the whole Constitution will be torn to pieces. In addition to these gigantic changes, there is to be a revolution in relation to the House of Lords, payment of Members in the House of Commons, and various other fundamental alterations. Hardly a shred of the political Constitution would remain as it is.