The Press TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 1955. General Election In Britain

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27637, 19 April 1955, Page 12

The Press TUESDAY, APRIL 19, 1955. General Election In Britain

The decision to dissolve the present House of Commons is a logical response to the present political situation in Britain. In 1951 the Conservatives were elected by a narrow majority to take over the Government from Labour. The chief theme of the 1951 General Election was Britain’s economic position; the dominant problem facing whichever party was elected was how to make Britain earn its living and pay its way. The Conservatives can fairly claim to have fulfilled triumphantly the chief part of their 1951 mandate. Though there is a year and a half yet to run of the five years for which the present Parliament was elected, that is no reason why the Government should not seek a fresh mandate for changed conditions. Indeed, it is the exception rather than the rule for British Parliaments to serve their full terms. Conditions have changed; the Government party’s leadership

has changed; an appropriate time occurs, therefore, to test the mind of the electorate. The test is more readily justified, because it can scarcely fail to serve the interests of good government. If the present Parliament were to run on for six months or a year longer, politics would be under the shadow of an imminent election, which would be unsettling, and could mean months of drift and indecision in government affairs.

The cynical may say that this is a case where the national interests coincide with the Conservatives’ interests. But if the Conservatives are advantageously placed at present, they can reasonably claim to be. T-qrtly at least, architects of their o'. ’. good fortune. Britain has progressed from penury to a sound economic position in the three and a half years of Conservative administration. In that time, also, Britain’s influence in world affairs has recovered, and the Conservatives are entitled to be happy if the public hold the new Conservative leader in some esteem for the part he has played in the restoration of Britain’s international prestige. If the announcement of a General Election follows disclosures of recent sharp divisions in the Labour Party, the Conservatives can scarcely be blamed.

It by no means follows, of course, that a good beginning will produce a good ending. The two last General Elections showed Britain to be divided remarkably evenly in allegiance to the two chief political parties. That position may persist; in the Labour Party the loyalties of the rank and file may not have been affected by fights among the party’s hierarchy. Changes have been made ir. constituency boundaries since the last General Election; and in a close election these changes may be important. The Budget is expected to influence the election campaign; and if it is one that is well received by the public, the Conservatives will have an additional reason to go into the General Election campaign in particularly good heart.