Labour's Leaders.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 18668, 17 April 1926, Page 14

Labour's Leaders.

Mr H. E. Holland's comments upon the result of the Eden byelection can most charitably be explained as due to the fact that the confirmation of his position as Leader of the Opposition has gone to his head. Everyone knows, for everyone can sec for himself, that the figures show that there has beeu no appreciable change in the state of opinion in Eden. Nobody expected that there would be any change; the only point in doubt was whether Miss Melville would so seriously split the three-fifths majority against Labour as to allow the Labour candidate to _be elected. The percentage of Labour votes remains practically unchanged. There was no reason why it shoilld have changed. With these facts before him—but made invisible to liim, perhaps, by the dazzling fact that the result would just, and only just, enable him and his handful of followers to call themselves the Opposition—Mr Holland says it is " evident that there was "a decided revulsion against the administration of the Government." It would be charitable, as we have said, to suppose that Mr Holland's nonsense was the product of joy and excitement, but nothing is more certain than that Mr Holland knew he was talking nonsense. He does not expect any sensible person to agree with him, but he does expect the weak-minded people who vote Labour to give him three cheers for his " defeat' of the Govern- " ment." For he knows his public, and has a complete and well-founded confidence in sheix readiness to believe anything their leaders uay tell them. But how, it may be asked, are sensible folk concerned with the audacities of Labour's leaders and the gullibility of Labour's supporters? May we not allow them to gull add to be galled? Sensible people are concerned to this extent: that they must realise that the Labonr Party is not at all the well-meaning but foolish Party they often suppose. The rank and file of Labour are, indeed, well-meaning but foolish, but their leaders are not. The professional leaders of Labour are not very intelligent, indeed, bnt they are ennning politicians who will stick at nothing in their campaign against the existing bases of public credit and social order. ■'