Editing Isaac Butt (section)

==Declined influence==

When Parnell entered [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]] he took his cue from [[John O'Connor Power]] and Joseph Biggar and allied himself with those Irish members who would support him in his obstructionist campaign. MPs at that time could stand up and talk for as long as they wished on any subject. This caused havoc in Parliament. In one case they talked for 45 hours non-stop, stopping any important bills from being passed. Butt, ageing, and in failing health, could not keep up with this tactic and considered it counter-productive. In July 1877 Butt threatened to resign from the party if obstruction continued, and a gulf developed between himself and Parnell, who was growing steadily in the estimation of both the Fenians and the Home Rulers.{{sfnp|Lyons|1978|pp=70–75|ps=}}

The climax came in December 1878, when Parliament was recalled to discuss the [[Second Anglo-Afghan War|war in Afghanistan]]. Butt considered this discussion too important to the [[British Empire]] to be interrupted by obstructionism and publicly warned the Irish members to refrain from this tactic. He was fiercely denounced by the young Nationalist [[John Dillon]], who continued his attacks with considerable support from other Home Rulers at a meeting of the Home Rule League in February 1879. Although he defended himself with dignity, Butt, and all and sundry, knew that his role in the party was at an end.{{sfnp|Lyons|1978|p=86|ps=}} [[Richard Barry O'Brien|Barry O'Brien]], in his biography of Parnell, interviews 'X' who relates: 'It was very painful. I was very fond of Butt. He was himself the kindest-hearted man in the world, and here was I going to do the unkindest thing to him.'{{sfn|Stanford |2011| p=84|loc= endnote 196}}

Butt, who had been suffering from bronchitis, had a stroke the following May and died within a week. He was replaced by [[William Shaw (Irish politician)|William Shaw]], who in turn was replaced by [[Charles Stewart Parnell]] in 1880.