The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES" GISBORNE, MONDAY, DEC. 14, 1942. ONE-PARTY GOVERNMENT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 20966, 14 December 1942, Page 2

The Gisborne Herald. WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED “THE TIMES" GISBORNE, MONDAY, DEC. 14, 1942. ONE-PARTY GOVERNMENT

The people of France are apparently to have a single-party Government on the lines of those functioning in Germany and Italy. It is .suggested that this development is being forced on France by Germany, but the fact, ol: course, is thai Sit'. Laval, is just as keen on the new development as are his Nazi masters. it is a means by which lie can eliminate his opponents and secure complete political power for. himself. It is incredible that the people of France will willingly accept this political revolution, for dictatorship is so foreign to their psychology. In Germany ancl Italy the public attitude is different, and unlike France, they have no long history of unending struggles to maintain the democratic form of government. In the meantime, however, it is unlikely that the people of France will have much choice. They have been so completely betrayed by their leaders and so effectively subjected by Germany that the new regime, however strong the underground opposition to it, will have to be tolerated. It is not to be expected that Laval will achieve anything for France; but Germany, no doubt, expects that he will achieve more than hitherto for the Axis. In effect, the mailed fist of dictatorship takes over the task that proved too much for the gloved hand.

This transition from even a pseudo democracy to a dictatorship contains its lessons and its warnings. That France, which of all countries has endured and suffered so much to preserve the democratic rights of the people, should be subjected to the ride of ah autocrat is almost unbelievable, but the fact that this has occurred is evidence of the danger to democracy. It would be easy to plead that Laval and his cohorts have acled under duress; but that does not dispose of the fact that there is evidently a substantial body of Frenchmen who are prepared to betray the faith for which their country has always stood. It is significant that in France, as in Germariy and Italy, the dictatorship springs from erstwhile Socialists who might have been expected to lead the resistance to it. The explanation seems to lie in the fact that men to whom power is strange cannot resist the temptation to abuse it. Hitler and Mussolini both secured entry to politics in the orthodox manner and, at the outset, proceeded to use the Parliamentary machine. Having secured control of Parliament, however, they were not prepared to risk losing it and they proceeded to vest power in their own particular parties rather than in Parliament. Laval’s rise to power is distinguished by the fact that from the outset he ignored Parliament. The experience of these single-party Governments demonstrates how easy it is to drift from democracy to dictatorship, more particularly when those in control are experiencing power for the first time in their lives and, in consequence, are lacking in a sense of responsibility. Any suggestion that New Zealand was in danger of becoming a dictatorship would probably be ridiculed —even as it would have been in regard to France —but the threat is there nevertheless. Experience shows that the first step towards a dictatorship is the disregard, of Parliament. Can it be said that Parliament in New Zealand has not' been disregarded? Could it be said that the Dominion is governed to-day by the Parliament elected by the people? During the recent short session it. was suggested to the Prime Minister that Parliament should have been consulted before certain important changes were made. The Prime Minister retorted: “What difference would it have made?” In that question the Prime Minister

"•weals the contempt with which Parliamept, the elected representatives of the people, is held by the Government. It has been superseded by the Government —by a sing'le-party administration which, although its term of office has long since expired, arrogates to itself the powers of a dictatorship. in this so-called democratic country, therefore, there has already arisen a state of affairs where the Government cannot claim to have been elected by the people, where the country is governed, not by legislation enacted by Parliament but by decrees issued uy me Government, and where Parliament is bluntly told that it makes no difference. In this development there is surely food for thought. The parallel to the dictatorships has already prpceeued too tar <....d t..c drift from democracy can only be arrested if public opinion expresses itseif plainly and freely. The Government, quite obviously, is primarily concerned with retaining power and, quite frankly, is prepared to use its power without regard to the rights of Parliament. It could be said, of course, that it knows that it can, by •reason of its majority, enforce its will on Parliament. In other words, it has a majority in the caucus and it uses that majority to dominate, first its own parly ancl then Parliament as a whole. Tnis is single-party government, because it means that the one party, and not Parliament, decides the policy of the country and that measures can be enforced even though they are not approved by a majority of Parliament. To all intents and purposes, the second party might as well not exist under' this, system, lor the larger party has usurped all the powers, of Parliament.