POLITICAL OBITER DICTA

Press, Volume LXIX, Issue 20978, 5 October 1933, Page 14

POLITICAL OBITER DICTA

TO THE BUITOB OF THE PBE33

Sir, —I would hail "Silver Lining" as one who like myself finds cynical amusement in watching the travestying of our national business in Parliament and out of it by our professional politicians; but I would hope also that now and again with him, as with me, cynicism will give way ta a consideration of what is being said and done by our representatives. Then he will feel humiliated. He questions whether a frank exposure, such as I attempted, does any good. I would suggest to him that there is method in my seeming madness. The steady exposure of the blatancies, the futilities, the insincerities, of our politicians may help to make the people realise what our politics have sunk to. And I have faith in the common sense of the people, and believe that when they secure a full comprehension of it, they will demand and enforce a drastic purge.

1 differ with him in his assumption that even such protests as mine—from an obscure anonym—are received with amusement by the politicians enjoying, partly at our expense, the luxuries of Bellamy's. My knowledge is that they detest it. To mention Bellamy's to one of its beneficiaries is like waving a red rag to a bull.

I think "Silver Lining" is hopelessly wrong in under-valuing the reforming power of the press in political affairs. He wields a facile pen. I invite him to join me in doing our little bit in cleaning up our politics. We are but two, but we are two, and I do not think the time is far distant when the demand will be made by a united people that our politics be made at least as respectable as any branch of business and be no-longer the sport of careerists, spouting of principle while all the time playing desperately for the prizes of office and their own personal ambitions.—Yours, etc., „ S.M October 4, 1933.