BRITISH ELECTIONS

Greymouth Evening Star, 9 May 1945, Page 8

BRITISH ELECTIONS

SCOTTISH ELECTION SURPRISE

LONDON, April 15. Dr. Robert D. Mclntyre, who has unexpectedly won the Motherwell by-election, will be the first Scottish National Party candidate to be elected to the House of Commons. Dr. Mclntyre said during the campaign that his sole political aim was the establishment in Scotland of a Scottish Government directly responsible to the Scottish people. The voting resulted:—Dr. Mclntyre, 11,317 votes; Alexander 'Anderson (Labour), 10,800..

TOO INDEPENDENT

LONDON, April 18. Dr. Robert Mclntyre, young and earnest new “Scottish Nationalist member of the House of Commons, refused*• yesterday to be formally presented to the House by two sponsors, as required by a rule of 1688. The Speaker refused to allow him to take his seat. • A motion to suspend the rule was defeated by 273 votes to 74. Dr. Mclntyre said later: “Throughout my campaign I declared I wouln maintain my independence of all London-controlled parties. . I could not flout my electorate’s wishes on the first day.” The Scottish Nationalist Party, with a platform of Home Rule for Scotland, has no other representatives in the House to act as sponsors.

POSTPONEMENT PROSPECTS

LONDON, April 16. Maintenance of the National Government until after the defeat of Japan is now being considered, says the political correspondent- of the “Daily Mail.” ~ , „ ™ “The death of President Roosevelt i einforced the arguments of those Labour and Conservative supporters of Mr Churchill who believe that national" interests might suffer unnecessarily by the severance of political co-operation,” he says. The decision rests with Mr Churchill whether to ask the party leaders to continue to serve under him for a further period.”