THE OPPOSITION OF THE LYTTELTON TIMES.

Evening Post, Volume XXII, Issue 28, 2 August 1881, Page 2

THE OPPOSITION OF THE LYTTELTON TIMES.

The Lyttelton Times is recognised as the chief organ of the extreme Opposition party Its views w°re therefore looked for with considerable interest during the late No-confl-denoe debate, and it was with no little Bnrprise that day after day waa found to elapse, until at length the division itself was taken without any expression of opinion, from the leading Opposition journal, on the political struggle then proceeding. Now, however, the Lyttelton Times has its say, and in the last number to hand, it expresses itself with the most refreshing plainness and candour on tho conduct of the Opposition party in Parliament. It commences a trenchant article, with the following complimentary exordium : — '" There are always some persistent idiots who insist on roariog ' No surrender,' at every opportunity they get to open their mouths. No matt t how completely the result of a struggle may be against them, no matter what the cost to the country of its renewal, no matter how utterly hopeless the chance of success, or of any other result but waste of time and usefulness, these people stick to their precious 'No surrender.'" After applying these remarks to the Noconfidence motion, the Ljttelton 'limes proceeds to make the following iorcible aud appropriate comments : — " The country has had enough of this. Nobody wants to see the Opposition once more carried away by the senseless sound of its own idle gossip. The country wants some work now, instead of disorganisation, indiscipline, and wildness of judgment. What in the name of good sense was the use of all that clatter about the bilious motion of a quondam t-plenetic Government supporter ? The gentlemen of the Opposition tell us that they made that demonstration of jalk in order to compel Ministers to pass measures of local government. We wonder why they did not go at once about this work of compulsion without circumlocution. That they did not do so is, under all tho circumstances of the case, abundant proof that they never had the remotest idea of compelling Ministers to do anything but go out of office. It has been all along notorious that the formation of a Government to replace the present Government is impossible. The addition of the splenetic Ormond to the ranks of the mutual irreconcileables of the Opposition, made the task more hopeless than ever. Yet there ensued upon that addition a dreary, useless, prolonged debate. The inference is plain, that local government was no more the primary object of the Opposition than it was of the Government." Our contemporary concludes as follows : — " The only chance for good work during the remainder of the session is for two parties, which are too well balanced to carry anything by fighting, to unite in making the beßt of the measures brought down. Wh^n a strong Government from any side of the House is impossible, tho best thing obviously is to allow the weak Government which is actually in possession of the 'lreasury benches to preside over the deliberations of a House which has determined to do useful work. If the Opposition leaders had rememb6rgd this, and allowed Mr. Ormond's amendment to haye fallen flat, as it deserved, it would hj,ve been better for them with their constituents. We shall not be surprised if their blunder will cost some of them their seats. Their best chance of retrieving their position in public opinion is to set to work without noise in earnest. Let us hear no more 'No surrender.' " It is to be hoped that the Opposition will profit by the good advice thus kindly o#ered to them by their candid friend.