Swift obviously supported a standing army and foreign military involvement when he wrote as a Whig and published A Discourse of the Contests and Dissentions (1701) and Temple's Letters (1703). Swift, however, savages standing armies in A Tale of a Tub, which was unpublished at the time, as well as in his later Tory writings in Gulliver's Travels (1726). For example, in Gulliver's Travels, Lemuel Gulliver is taken to London by sailors who want him to join a standing army. He refuses, saying: "I had rather starve with my friends than eat howling with wolves." In addition to supporting a standing army, Swift also attacked domestic violence and advocated for Irish independence. Swift also criticized British policy toward Ireland during this time period. Ireland had been under English rule since 1653 when Oliver Cromwell defeated Charles I in battle. In order to secure their hold on power, the English began importing large numbers of Irish prisoners into their island prison colony. These prisoners worked on small plots of land with only one day off every week. They were given extremely poor food and equipment for work. Many died from starvation or disease before they even reached their destination. This is why many historians believe that Britain's conquest of Ireland was done primarily for economic reasons -- to secure its supply of meat for its growing population. In addition to being critical of British policy toward Ireland, Swift also has some choice words for those involved in political disputes in England.