UNREAL PARTY LINES

Evening Post, Volume XCVIII, Issue 139, 10 December 1919, Page 4

UNREAL PARTY LINES

The hitherto Liberal M.P for Timaru, Mr. Craigie, is standing as an Independent, and indicates his* desire for "a new Government composed of the best men from both sides of the House." A Government of best men—or, as it is sometimes called, a Ministry of all the talents—is not necessarily a success. The members of a Government should be homogeneous in personality and in principle; and a Government of best men might not be homogeneous. This essential homogeneity is, indeed, the supposed justification of the party system. So long as the party wall separates one lot of men allied in character and principle, from a quite different lot of men allied in character and principle, the party system may claim to have a purpose. If it groups reformers with reformers, and reactionaries, with reactionaries, it is presenting a clear-cut issue ;vits labels have a meaning; it stands for consistency and sincerity. But the real point is that this is just what Reform and Liberalism, or Masseyism and Wardism, fail to do. The wall between Masseyism and Wardism does not separate the true disciples of two conflicting principles, nor does it define sheep from goats. To do that satisfactorily the paddock would have to be subdivided again, in which case the new cross-fence would soon be more important than tho original bound-ary-line, which might, indeed, become obsolete. If the candidates were divided according to principle, there would be three groups^ —one for. reactionaries and conservatives; one for progressive democrats, including constitutional • Labour and Radicalism; and one for extremists. That classification would be comparable with, but not necessarily identical with, the Continental plan of Right, Centre, and extreme Left. Now, it is plain enough that New Zealand's present threeparty disposition does not coincide with any such classification-on-principle. Masseyism covers both conservative and progressive elements; so does Wardism. And the name Labour is applied both to progressive democrats and to extremists, who exist either in separate compartments, or who dwell —for the present— "in one compartment through pressure of the machine. This failure of the party system to classify according to principle js the cause of the bad repute in which the system stands, and is incidentally the cause of the new independence of Mr. Craigie and others. What is needed i 3 a Cabinet of progressive democrats, and Mr. Craigie is right in his assumption that they, are to be found on "both sides"; but, for team work, they must still be selected from the standpoint of homogeneity, or co-operativo capacity, rather than^on a standard of "best men." The real question is: Who shall select tho team? .Shall the selection be made by the House itself, on elective executive lines, in the purblind method of the ballot? Or must some individual " skipper " still be entrusted with the task of picking the members of the team and of scientifically placing them? Constitutionally, of course, the work is still in the hands of the Prime Minister, or, in tho event of his resignation, of the man whom His Excellency the Governor commissions. To depart from that, a constitutional amendment would be necessary, and hitherto it has always failed to pass Parliament. Aim th."- rloctioMS, ">wi before Purlin.meat meets, it. will be open to tho .Prime

Minister to appeal for support, if he so desires, to men of either side. If his own colleagues are prepared to give way, and if the men appealed to are willing to come in, the Prime Minister will bavo an opportunity to collect round 'him, if not " the best men," the best team. He is pledged against Parliamentary traffic with Official Labour, but not with Liberals and Independents; neither is. Sir Joseph Ward pledged against contracts with progressive Reformers. Therefore, there is still a chance that either one leader or the other, without leaning upon either of the extremes (reactionary or revolutionary), may accomplish in the now Parliament some real team work. But if this is to be done, it will be better done by placing in the rank and file, of the House men —as many as possible—strong in independence of character arid in personal and political capacity. Party redtape may need to bo cut not with a pair of scissors but with a sword; and it rests on the electors to make tho best possible use of such good material—it is little enough—as may be. at their disposal. If a strong House is elected, reclassification on lines of principle will begin to automatically assert itself as soon as the polls are known, and the sooner the better. Good leadership will welcome, and will assist, a new and logical readjustment of party boundaries. This may be done without sacrifice of principle, and it is the natural course of events.