2014/07/01 by Jonathan Wright · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · #Irish and British Studies #Scottish History and National Identity #Joseph Conrad and Literature #Contempt #Irish #Politics #Law #Georgian #Framing (construction) #Borough #Power (physics) #Political science #Sociology #History #Philosophy #Public administration
paper · doi:10.1017/jbr.2014.55
openalex publication_date 2014/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract This article focuses on the Irish-born metropolitan radical and parliamentary journalist Peter Finnerty, exploring, in particular, the distinctive nature of his political engagement. Chiefly remembered as a friend of William Hazlitt and an implacable opponent of Lord Castlereagh, Finnerty was an influential figure in his own right, who moved between a range of social and political spaces. Framing him as an unrepentant Irish radical, indifferent to the coercive power of authority, this article will examine Finnerty's involvement in a range of scandals, controversies, and causes célèbres, and will highlight the ways in which he succeeded, through enacting a contempt for authority, in subverting both the courtroom and Parliament itself.