In 1800 the Irish Parliament, elected by about 5% of the population, was bribed to disband and in 1801 the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was formed. Irish MPs now sat in Westminster. Catholics were barred from being MPs and Daniel O'Connell campaigned against this. In 1829 this changed and O'Connell, now an MP, began to agitate for repeal of the Act of Union (for Ireland to gets its parliament back).

This was opposed by Unionists, predominantly Ulster Protestants. They had controlled the Irish Parliament but now that Catholics could sit they feared being swamped (as they were a tiny minority) and wanted to remain part of the Union to protect their interests.

In the 1870's the demand changed to Home Rule, limited self government for Ireland within the Union. The Liberal party needed the support of Irish MPs and so promised Home Rule while the Conservative party supported the Unionists. Two Home Rule bills were put forward in the late 1800's; the first was defeated in the House of Commons and while the second passed it was heavily defeated in the Conservative dominated House of Lords. While the Conservatives dominated the Lords Ireland would never get Home Rule.

In 1909 the Liberal Party budget was defeated in the House of Lords. While they had the power to do so this was not the done thing; it was the perogitive of the Commons to handle finances. An election was called for January 1910 which Liberals declared to be a referendum on the budget. The Liberals realised they needed Irish support to hold onto power and promised Home Rule to the Irish Parliamentary Party. A second election in December 1910, a referendum on ending the power of veto held by the Lords, was again won by the Liberals with IPP backing. The King threatened to fill the House of Lords with Liberal peers to force through a bill ending the veto unless they did so themselves.

The veto was now limited to a two year delay. If the same bill came before the House of Lords 3 times (no more than once a year) it would be enacted on the 3rd time. A Home Rule bill for Ireland passed the Commons and was rejected by the Lords in 1912. It was rejected for a second time in 1913. This meant that on the third reading, in late 1914, Ireland would finally get Home Rule. As long as anything dramatic didn't happen, like a World War.....