:00:11. > :02:17.He was an extraordinary divisive character.
:02:18. > :02:30.This was the era of the rotten borough. Parliamentary seats were
:02:31. > :02:35.often in the gift of. Spencer was the son of an Earl. A natural social
:02:36. > :02:40.Conservative, he had no time for workers' rights. He forced tough new
:02:41. > :02:46.legislation through Parliament. To be convicted of machine breaking now
:02:47. > :02:49.was to be sentenced to death. You were either for Spencer Perceval
:02:50. > :02:54.over the smashing machines or you were against him. He was an
:02:55. > :02:59.extraordinary divisive character. I think that is really, when one's
:03:00. > :03:02.looking at his achievements, they were considerable, I think his
:03:03. > :03:09.divisiveness is the thing to hold on to. Nowadays, he might be called a
:03:10. > :03:14.conviction politician. His religious believes led him to oppose slavery
:03:15. > :03:28.and Catholic emancipation and to keep at great expense a British
:03:29. > :03:32.force in Portugal when nap owl Portugal.