The Diminishing Politics of Sectarianism: How Class Politics Displaced Identity Politics

Chapter five assesses the interplay between the religious and political divide. It asserts that to rival the Tory-Orange-Protestant caucus, the Liberals would also play on sectarianism to gain votes, often labelling themselves the ‘home rule’ party. The Protestant Party, Irish Nationalist Party, and Labour’s connection with Catholicism are also considered. The chapter describes how politicians on both sides used animosity for electoral success, and also demonstrates how Liverpool’s Labour Party became increasingly secular as the twentieth century progressed. The growth of more ‘normal’, class-based politics and the striving for better economic conditions (in difficult circumstances) became more powerful motivators than religion. This chapter explains how and why.