Sir Oswald Mosley.

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 11, 12 July 1930, Page 28

Sir Oswald Mosley.

Towards the end of May it was announced that Sir Oswald Mosley, Labour M.P. for Smethwick in the House of Commons, who was Chancellor of tho Duchy of Lancaster in tho Labour Ministry, had resigned tho latter office as a protest against Cabinet inactivity on the v ng m ployment question. Opinion on tho subject is divided in England. According to some people he is merely ambitions and insincere. The other view is that he is a keen politi-

uinn genuinely convinced ill Socialist ideas, which his wife—also a member of Parliament — shares and encourages. His statement in the House of Commons, while it did not encourage one or the other view, showed him to be a man of great self-control, finesse, and natural dignity. "With the leave of the House," he said, "I riso to make the statement which is customary when Ministers resign from the Government of the day. I understand that it is in accordance with precedent, and the convenience of the House, that these statements should bo confined to the actual reasons which led to tho resignation. I propose, however, to take the first opportunity, when the proper vote is down for discussion, to advance the detailed and rather lengthy case which, I fear, it would be necessary for mo to make on thf) merits of the issuos which have arisen. My present statement can perhaps be best summarised if the House will permit me to read the letjter I addressed to the Prime Minister: 'My dear Prime Minister: Oa 23rd January last I submitted to you a memorandum on unemployment policy, which was an attempt to work out iv detail the programme of our party at the' last election, and to provide a more effective alternative to the policy

the Government has pursued. In my covering letter I explained that the memorandum was not advanced in any dogmatic spirit; that I was more than open to any alternative which could be shown to be superior. I made it clear however, that I had reached the very definite conclusion that it was impossible to continue as at present. The Cabinet subsequently decided to appoint a committee under the chairmanship of the Chancellor of the Exehe.quer to consider the unemployment situation, and in this connection to have regard to the memorandum. That committee presented a report which not only rejects in its entirety the memorandum, but also adopts a position which would involve the rejection of any effective alternative to present policy." Since the report of that committee you have been good enough to discuss with Ministers in charge of unemployment both the memorandum and the report. Unfortunately these discussions have only served to emphasise our differences, while during their currency the Chancellor of the Exchequer has aflh-med tho position adopted by his committee as to the policy of ■tho Government in a public speech delivered to the British Banking Association on 14th May last. This policy wal reiterated by the Lord Privy Seal in a recent debate. In these circumstances I regret that I hold it to bo inconsistent with honour for me to remain a member of the Government. On tho back benches I shall remain, in vote arid ac£ion, a loyal member of the Labour Party. In speech and in the advocacy of policy I shall claim the right, always accorded by our party to its own members to ask the party to adopt a policy which I believe to be more consistent with our programmeand pledges at the last election. It is to me a" matter of great regret that, as a Minister, I have no means of appeal to the judgment of our party except by resignation from the Government." When he rose to commence his speech, Sir Oswald Mosley was pale, though his natural complexion is ruddy, but he gave no other signs of his emotion. He reproached no one, did not magnify the political importance of his resignation, and protested that he would still be a loyal member of the Socialist Party.