In a speech delivered in 1858, John Bright gave his full backing to the armed forces in the defence of the realm, but spoke out against other military interventions abroad. He said there could be no justification for spending so much blood and treasure on bullying other nations, or widening an empire that was already too large to be governable.

Bright went on to declare his belief that nations should be guided by the same moral principles as those that guide good citizens. Just as individuals who break the moral law eventually find that actions have consequences, so too history teaches us that national wrongdoing invites divine retribution, sooner or later.

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