Book excerpt: Explores the response of British government and public opinion to the Irish Famine in the light of contemporary debates about the nature and future of Irish society. The ideological filters through which the famine was perceived are discussed and the effects of the ideological rifts within the British elite are examined. The author argues that the politics of `relief' had been predetermined by English views of Irish society. Distributed by ISBS. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR