RATIONALIST VIEW OF POLITICAL SITUATION

Grey River Argus, 30 June 1947, Page 5

RATIONALIST VIEW OF POLITICAL SITUATION

May Not Bear Strain to Come

The opinion that socialism - was only “the mushroom growth of yesterday,” whereas “western civilisation had behind it an accumulated impetus of 2000 years,” was expresed by the president of the National Party, Mr J. W. Sim, K.C., at the Dominion Conference of the party. “As I see it,” said Mr Sim, ‘We are engaged in nothing more or less than defence of wes'tern civilisation itself, which is now in jeopardy as it has not been menaced for hundreds of years. We in New Zealand received western civilisation as our heritage, and we are as much under attack as any other part of the world where it still exists.” He said that at present attacks came from two quarters, which, in essence, were the same —Communists and Socialists. The Communists openly avowed that his objective was the destructioin of all they had inherited from the past; to that extent they could respect an enemy who declared his intentions _ and meet him face to face. The Socialist also worked to destroy, but under cover, working with all the power that command of language placed at his disposal to obscure that his ob j jective was the same as that of the Communists.

“When props of our civilisation are directly assaulted or indirectly undermined, so that they lose their influence upon the_ spirit of the nation, need we wonder that we find ourselves in the grip of an inertia or spiritual paralysis, which will overpower us if we do not take vigorous and immediate steps to defeat it?” he asked.

The answer I suggest is to put an end to vague talk about a new social order, and to set about with determination in recreating positively a new age of faith,” he said, we need a new faith in ourselves; in our country, and its possibilities; faith in a great leadership wiser than they have had in the recent past; a detrmination, in other words that civilisation, as we have Known it, shall continue, and with beneficial results for all sections of the Community.

“The National Party is instinctive in a strong measure, with the thoughts I have endeavoured to express, and is well equipped to give practical shape to such ideas. He declared: “Changes in the electoral system produced just the result that was contemplated at 'the time they were made, namely salvation of the Government, which was in distress and, on the w'ay out, after being 11 years in office.” Although the party had failed to dislodge the Government in a hard fought election campaign, it might take some justifiable comfort in the 'thought that failure to become the Government of the day could be attributed in a large measure, to the change in the electoral system of the country; in the repeal of the country quota, and consequential alteratioin in the shape of the electorates. Whereas, before the changes, there were only 26 city electorates, and of these Labour held 23, after the 1946 elections, based on the new boundaries, there were 34 city electorates, of which Labour took 27—an increase to its strength of four seats, which made all the difference.

“The so-called principle of one man one vote condemus itself as sheer plausibility,” said Mr Sim, when it is borne in mind that approximately 1000 Southern Maoris have the privilege of electing a member all for themselves.” If the Government chose to inflict on New Zealand further instalments of socialism, it would only be by virtue of a pretentious mandate which rested for its validity upon the four Maori seats. One was driven to the conclusion that an unstable situatioin had arisen, ■which, in the minds of many, might not bear the strain that would be imposed upon it.