155th anniversary of the first use of the political slogan “Home rule is Rome rule”

On the 12th of July, 1871 the famous political slogan “Home Rule is Rome Rule” was first coined by John Vance MP who was from Dublin but with strong connections to my family here in Tyrone.  John Vance was born in Dublin on the 10th December, 1808 and served as MP for Dublin City from 1852 to 1865.  Following his defeat he became the MP for Armagh City on the 30th June, 1867, a seat he held until his death.  

John Vance was a committed Orangeman, Unionist and Conservative Unionist MP.  He staunchly opposed home rule writing newspaper articles stating “Home rule is Rome rule.”  A very highly respected and hardworking member of Parliament, just before his death he had been recommended by Benjamin Disraeli a long-time friend and two times Prime Minister to Queen Victoria to bestow a baronetcy on him.   Disraeli like Vance strongly opposed Irish Home Rule, viewing it as a direct threat to the integrity of the British Empire and the United Kingdom.  Vance worked closely with Disraeli to ensure that did not happen and also in helping Disraeli to modernise the Conservative and Unionist Party with the idea of “One Nation Conservativism.”  

As a Conservative Unionist MP he was set for very high office in government including possibly as a potential future Prime Minister.  Sadly after returning from a walk to his hotel in Scarborough he collapsed and died on Thursday evening the 21st September, 1871 aged just 66.  He had previously been celebrating the 76th anniversary of the battle of the Diamond, a battle that took place on the 21st September, 1795 and which saw the Orange Institution established afterwards.

"Rome Rule" was a term used by Unionists to describe the belief that the Roman Catholic Church would gain political control over many of the hard won reformation freedoms then enjoyed with the passage of a Home Rule Bill at Westminster. The slogan was made even more popular by MP and Quaker John Bright during the Home Rule crisis in the late 19th century and continued to be used in the early 20th century.

However the term has been documented as being first used in the House of Commons on the 12th July, 1871. The Local and Personal Act (Ireland) Bill had been proposed by Denis Caulfield Heron, MP for Tipperary. The Nationalist MP for Westmeath, Patrick James Smyth, rose to second the Bill and used his speech to advocate repeal of the Union. In reply John Vance MP for Armagh City stated: The constituents of the honourable member for Westmeath would not be satisfied with the homeopathic dose of "home rule" embodied in the present bill and his own opinion was that "home rule" in Ireland would prove to be "Rome rule."

Stevan Patterson, Castlederg, County Tyrone.