The Press Friday, October 30, 1931. The British Elections.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20381, 30 October 1931, Page 10

The Press Friday, October 30, 1931. The British Elections.

The fuller reports published to-day show that when the House of Commons assembles next week the Government will outnumber the Opposition by ten to one. A handful of Lloyd George Liberals and a Labour Party which has lost more than two hundred members will face a Government in which the Conservative block alone is nearly five hundred strong. Labour will be almost leaderless and far from easy to lead; nor can it be considered likely that more than a very few, if any, of the unseated Labour ex-Ministers will be offered a way into the House by the resignation of " safe" seats in their favour. The polling proved that in the present temper of the electorate no seat is safe for Labour. The strong trade union centres swung violently away, and Labour seats were lost, not by the pimple addition of Liberal and Conservative votes, but by the defection of thousands who voted Labour before. Even so fiercely Socialist a constituency as Mr Maxton's withdrew over four thousand votes from ljim, Mr Lansbury was returned for Poplar on a vote cut down by almost half, and the full table of seats contested, held or lost, shows almost everywhere a severe slump in the Labour vote; and it is often even heavier than a comparison of absolute totals suggests, because electorates have increased in size and polling was heavier on Tuesday than in 1929. For example, Mr Greenwood at Nelson and Colne received 7500 votes fewer ia a poll 3000 heavier, and Miss Bondfleld at Wallsend lost nearly 2000 votes while the pol| increased by 4000. On the other hand, of the small minority of Labour meipbers who followed Mr MacDpnald most were returned; and this unquestionably means more than that they were lucky to have Conservative and Liberal support. The Prime Minister's personal success at Seaham is of course the most valuable. His defeat would have been a disturbing offset against the Government's victory, especially if he had remained out of the House, because it is necessary to recognige the fact that Mr Mac Donald is the only possible centre round which, at present, a Government National in name and fact can be grouped. The election was fought to establish a National Government. If Mr Mac Donald had been rejected, a National Government might at once or dangerously soon have become impossible. As it is, he and his colleagues undertake a great task in the strength of the most emphatic popular assurance that any Government, perhaps, has ever beep given. The nation has said that it accepts the hard sacrifices which have already been imposed and is ready to follow the lead it will be given. It has set up what is, in fact, more nearly than ever before a committee of six hundred agreed upon the fundamentals of national policy and empowered to work out rationally and faithfully the plans to give it effect. Thi? Ip a magnificent and encouraging issue from the anxieties apd doubts of a few weeks ago; but it creates also a responsibility which can only be borne by men without pettiness or prejudice.