AN ALL-IN CABINET

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 112, 7 November 1935, Page 8

AN ALL-IN CABINET

A novel Labour Party proposal, explained by Mr. Savage on Tuesday, is to co-opt the services of all members elected to support a Labour' Government. Rank and file members will be associated with Ministers and salaries will be pooled. If Labour ever has an opportunity of putting this plan into operation, it will be interesting to see how it works. It may help to prevent trouble arising from the selection of members for Ministerial office, for the fortunate members will have authority but, apparently, no greater eriioluments. Further, it will lighten the load upon Ministers. To this extent it will be beneficial. The co-opted members may become Parliamentary Under-Secretaries in training for office. But there may be too much division of responsibility, with consequent loss of efficiency, if every Labour member is to have a commission of some sort. There are, however, stronger objections: members supporting a,, party in office will have higher pay than those in Opposition (the fact that Ministers already have higher pay does not answer this completely), and the proposal to make the sendee of the rank and. file member a fulltime job will deter many men from offering their services. As it is, there is difficulty in inducing men of capacity to give up part of their time to enter Parliament. • If they are expected to leave their businesses or professions they will be still more reluctant. Politics will become yet more professional.