“Misgivings” Caused By Government Actions

Press, Volume C, Issue 29672, 16 November 1961, Page 13

“Misgivings” Caused By Government Actions

“Although the manner in which legislation has been piloted through Parliament so fat doting the present session has not given so much ground for Complaint as in previous years, the Content of it arouses much misgiving among those who expected the winds of change to blow strongly after the election,” says an article in a recent publication of the “Liberator,” the official journal of the Constitutional Society.

“It is almost impossible to reconcile the political philosophy enunciated last November by the National Party with its performance as the Government of the day. “The growth of centralised control continues unabated in Spite of definite assurances to the contrary less than a year ago. It is clear that the planners of a completely Controlled economy are In full power and the suspicion grows that they proceed more speedily when an allegedly

conservatively inclined Government is in power, because legislation produced at that time may appear to have a greater air of respectability. “whoever would have expected such a Government, which Campaigned under the banner of freedom, to abolish the grand jury, or to Create a new structure ot Control over the liquor licensing trade which will make complete nationalisation possible and likely within only a few years, or to convert its unequivocal promise to restore voluntary unionism Into a meaningless compromise, or to tighten the Controls it so freely condemned, or to confirm agreements entered into for the establishment of monopoly industries, contrary to its policy, and to hedge about revealing the terms? “In the light Of these developments the outlook for the future is as serious as before, it is doubtful if anyone can believe that the change of government really changed anything, 1 ’ the article says. “Last November the people reacted strikingly to promises of more freedom. They hoped they were eleetlhg a Government with courage and Sincerity of purpose, but the expectations of real improvements fnust be rapidly turning to ashes. “If the country is firmly in the grip of the restructers and planners and there is no-one on the political horiioh With the courage or determination to break that grip, the prospect is bleak.

“But if freedom is to be submerged for a time—even a long time—it Is certain that it will reassert itself at some stage. Obviously the bast thing is to ensure that the long, hard struggle for recovery of freedom is not necessary. Let us fight to keep it.’’