Selborne's political case for common entry

Selborne brought two decades of political experience, aristocratic connections, and historical training to the Admiralty rather than the profile of an impulsive revolutionary. That background supports reading the reform as a coalition project grounded in institutional concerns. Even Charles Beresford, Fisher's bitter opponent on many issues, supported common entry because the recruiting and status problems were difficult to deny. The scheme's actual political base was broader than later accounts that make Fisher its sole author.