Radical Aims To Topple Wilson

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30951, 6 January 1966, Page 9

Radical Aims To Topple Wilson

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, January 5. A red-bearded Radical has opened a special election campaign to topple Britain’s Labour Government because of its support for American policy on Vietnam.

The Government’s low majority makes him a serious threat. I The by-election, in Hull on January 27, is shaping up as the most crucial for Mr Wilson's Government since it took office in 1964. It was caused by the death of the Labour M.P. for Hull North, Mr Henry Solomons. A defeat for Labour would reduce its House of Commons’ majority to one and its prestige would be so badly damaged that Mr Wilson might have to resign. The left-wing challenge to Mr Wilson was posed by Mr Richard Gott, a 27-year-old journalist running as the candidate of a group calling itself the Radical Alliance. Its organisers are leaders of Britain’s ban-the-bomb movement, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.

Asked by a reporter whether he really expected to force Mr Wilson from office, Mr Gott replied: “Let’s face it, he deserves it."

In most elections, Mr Gott could normally expect several hundred votes, a small amount

of publicity and a platform to air his views. That would represent little more than nuisance value to the other candidates—a Socialist, a Conservative and a Liberal.

But because of Labour's narrow majority in both the Commons and the Hull North district, Mr Gott is far more than just a nuisance for Labour.

Mr Solomons, the first Socialist elected in more than a decade, received a margin of 1181 votes out of a total of 47,717. All the Conservatives need in Hull is a shift of less than two per cent of the voters away from Labour. They have already done better than that in several special elections during the last year. Mr Gott’s votes will come from Labour, and they could make all the difference—even if they only number in the hundreds.

Fewer Divorces.—There were fewer divorces last year in Reno than the year before: 4318, compared with the record of 4431 in 1964—New York, January 5.