BRITISH LIBERALISM.

Evening Star, Issue 20995, 8 January 1932, Page 8

BRITISH LIBERALISM.

In some quarters the opinion has been expressed that as a result of the recent General Election for the future there will be only two parties in Great Britain—a i National Party and a Labour Party. This presupposes the submerging of the Liberals, who practically all joined in the Coalition. Some of the Liberals themselves, however, by no means intend to bo submerged. Their leading organ, the ‘ Manchester Guardian,’ while generally supporting the Government, remains as independent as ever. As a representative Liberal, Mr Harold Wright, too, writes in the current number of 1 The New Statesman and Nation ’ on ‘ How it Looks to a Liberal Now.’ To begin with, he rejoices in tho Labour defeat, and, though the new House of Commons is not composed “in a way which satisfies any Liberal, we had never reason to hope it would be.” Yet tho election must bo regarded as “ an impressive demonstration of national solidarity ■which should restore foreign confidence in sterling. The real menace to the Government will come from internal dissension, not from outside pressure, and it remains to be seen whether the Liberal can combine with the Tory, the Freetrader with the Protectionist, the Internationalist with the Nationalist. He thinks they can if Ministers can agree on a positive policy, and if attention to urgent situations, both abroad and at Home, keeps Cabinet busy. Then, “ as a set of tolerably sensible men they will keep their bees in their bonnets instead of allowing them to buzz round the conference table.” ■lf, however, there is a lull in tho storm of world events, and individual Ministers have time to examine their private beehives, Mr Wright forecasts a speedy break-up of the National Cabinet. This will come, he thinks, eventually—possibly in a year’s time. “ Then all real Liberals will go into Opposition, and they will find on tho Opposition benches a dispirited remnant of the Labour Party—and Mr Lloyd George, as fresh as paint. Then, if my dream

comes true, Mr Lloyd George will take over the leadership of a united Opposition, and a new progressive party will bo born.”

Presumably, although Mr Wright does not say so, this will really bo a Liberal Party. We cannot imagine radical Labour ever supporting Mr Lloyd George. Bub there will only henceforth be two parties, a consummation, of course, devoutly to be wished by all. The main division will bo a sharp one between “ Internationalist sheep and Nationalist goats,” the latter apparently comprising Protectionist Conservatives and the former “men of international outlook, who seek to reduce the barriers between nations and between classes to very minor proportions.” Mr Wright can find these in both the present Liberal and Labour Parties. But the Labour Party of the future seems more likely to be a class party. Mr G. D. H. Cole and other Labour leaders, writing of this latter question, call for a rebuilding of the Labour Party on more definitely Socialist lines. He does not think this can be done without slow education of the electors. “We shall come back to power, I hope and believe, when we do come back at all, not to repeat the vacillations and tinkerings of 1924 and 1929-31, but determined to institute at once a large instalment of positive socialisation of the vital industries and services. . . . I think the coming Labour Party will be far more extreme than the old one, though its extremism will be essentially constructive and realistic.” If this is so, however, it will certainly remain long out of power, in which case Mr Wright’s Progressive (Liberal) Party may yet find itself on the Treasury benches. Thero is really too much essential truth in Liberalism for it to die out from the earth altogether.