After much rangling, in 1832, Whig-backed legislation on emacipation and parliamentary reform was passed. Significant, because it initiates a process of re-shaping attitudes of class, rights, etc.

Church of England was affected as they opposed the bill. The Tories were generally opposed and the Whigs were in favor of the bill. This is interesting because the Whigs are Puritan based and you would think that they weren't too friendly to Catholics either.

Newman, at this time was politically opposed to the bill and along with others at Oxford, forced Robert Peel to resign from the Parliament because he gave in to pressure and supported O'Connell, the Irish Catholic who refused to take the Protestant Parliamentary oath and who won the election to represent the Irish in Parliament.

The Question to ask is where does Newman stand on these issues years later, especially when the Catholic University was being formed.

In the 1820s the two main issues were Catholic emancipation and parliamentary reform.

Oxford Conspirators by Marvin R. O'Connell

The Tory party is crumbling, its two main intellectual stalwarts are dead and the Duke of Wellington is intellectually not up to the task. The Whigs, though, are splintered. The main figure for them is Earl Gray (of tea fame). Apparently they are going to initiate the era of the common man, I guess that refers to universal sufferage and graduated income taxes.