TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1910. BRITISH POLITICS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLI, Issue 39, 15 February 1910, Page 4

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1910. BRITISH POLITICS.

The great question of the hour at Home is: Will Mtr. Asquith try to put the Budget through Parliament before he attempts to deal with the Lords? We have already set forth at some length the arguments for postponing the Budget till after the powers of the Lords are constitutionally circumscribed; and the case in favour of this policy was stated three days ago by Mr. John Redmond with his usual clearness and force. To send the Budget up to the Lords again without first limiting their right of veto, would, in the opinion of the Nationalist leader, "give the whole case against the Lords away." Nor, indeed, is it easy to see how the Liberals can hope to do much good by submitting the Budget once more to the representatives of the privileged classes, unless and until the revisionary power of tho Upper House is carefully restricted. But the most obvious and the most convincing argument for the course that Mr. Redmond advocates is the fact that the Nationalists are themselves determined to support it. As everybody knows by this time, the Nationalists hold the balance of power in their own hands; and Mr. Redmond has now announced that ho regards the Liberals as pledged to deal first with the Lords. It is, of course, natural that the Home Rule party should insist upon the limitation of the Lords' prerogatives as a preliminary condition to even a temporary alliance with the Liberals. And though Mr. Asquith does not actually seem to have promised to take the Veto question first, and the Budget second, there is no doubt about the line of action that the Nationalists wish him to follow, and just as little doubt about their nihility to coerce him into taking it, if fhey please. Mr. Asquith is thus placed in a very difficult position. For it is clear that, as the "Pall Mall (Gazette" and otflier Unionist organs constantly remind him. he ought to make his financial arrangements for the year as soon as possible, and ithus "regularise" the collection of current revenue, whicii still depends only on a resolution carried by the last House. In this dilemma the Prime Minister seems to have made some attempt to induce the King to express an opinion about the rights and powers of tho Lords. If will bo remembered that two months ago Mr. Asquith publicly announced that ho would not consent to hold office under present constitutional arrangements unless he received from the Crown some sort of guarantee that the Lorda would not be able in future to nullify the will of the people, as expressed by their representatives in the Lower House. To attempt' to secure such a pledge from the Throne would be a highly irregular proceeding, and it is noit probable that extremely confidential relations of this sort between the Crown and its First Minister would ever be publicly divulged. But the impression seems to prevail at Home that Mr. Asquith has tried to secure this guarantee and has failed; and the whole situation is certainly more complicated and dubious than it appeared even a week ago. The "Daily News" admrt3 that another crisis has arisen, and the "Daily Chronicle" now inclines to the opinion that it would be unwise to risk any attempt to pass the Budget before dealing with the Lords. So difficult and dangerous is the position in which the Liberal leaders now find themselves that one of the liberal Whips has hinted at the possibility of the rejection of the Budget by the Commons—of course, impl3-ing the defection of the Nationalists —and a subsequent dissolution. But the country certainly does not want' another election following so close upon the heels of the last, and we are inclined to think that even the Nationalists, rather than run the risk, will make reasonable terms with Mr. Asquith, and will lend him their support at least long enough to enable the Liberals efTectuailly to restrain and limit the powers and prerogatives of the Lords.