Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th., 1933. BRITISH LABOUR PARTY.

Greymouth Evening Star, 5 September 1933, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th., 1933. BRITISH LABOUR PARTY.

M R - Arthur Henderson’s retur.fr to the House of Commons should be welcomed, even by the National Government, which somewhat foolishly set up its own candidate. at Clay Cross to oppose him. There never was the slightest prospect of a non-Labourite being elected in that constituency, and it would have iSeen better tactics, as well as truer patriotism, for the Ministerialists to have stood, aside, at the by-election. Their reverse was greater than expected, but the result had no national importance. Before the Labour debacle at the last general elections in Britain, Mr. Henderson was the leader of the Parliamentary section of the Parly, but he was among the rejected, since when, he has confined

most of his attention to Disarmament Conference duties, he having been elected chairman of that body, when a, Minister in the Labour Cabinet. The Disarmament Confer-

ence is now regarded as more or less a failure, and presumably Mr. Henderson will return to his political duties, and perhaps regain the leadership of his Party. It will be remembered that Labour was left with scanty representation in the new Cornrapns, nnd this has been bad for that Party, and, also, for the country generally. Experience in most lands proves that too overwhelming a majority for any Government is a danger, and there have been occasions in the Commons of late, when a stronger Opposition would have been beneficial. Those Labourites who 'are in the House, are not too happy a family, and attempts to keep in the limelight by un-Par-liamentary deeds and revolutionary talk have ' not been infrequent.

j .Ultra-Socialistic sentiments have (come from Sir Stafford Cripps, re- | garded by many as Labour’s chief I Parliamentary orator, although Mr. G. Lansbury is the titular leader. He has stated that the next Labour Government, will take early steps at all-round nationalisation, and any attempts by the Lords or the , Crown, to prevent this policy, will be opposed by force. That may be good platform propaganda in certain constituencies, but the threat is not regarded very seriously by his political opponents, nor by many who support Labour. It is strange how some Labour converts from Conservative-Liberal ranks develop extremist tendencies. Sir Stafford Cripps is the youngest son of Lord Parmoor, one of the first peers created by the’ Labour Government. The latter is over 80 years of age, and, thus his son’s tenure in the Commons, may not.be long. The Labour Party is unlikely 'to consent to be led by a peer, and Sir Stafford is therefore ruled out. It will be long before Labour will again have the charice to rule in Britain, and in the intervening years, much will happen. The reentry of Air. Henderson to Parliament will strengthen the trades unionist section of the Party, a class always suspicious of those not of themselves. Sir Stafford, who preaches fight at home, is an enthusiast for peace abroad, and it may he that circumstances will give him more time to devote to the cause of international concord, at the same time as these are taking Mr. Henderson from Q similar task.