BRITISH POLITICS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLI, Issue 9188, 13 April 1910, Page 3

BRITISH POLITICS.

SECOND VETO RESOLUTION

(By Electric Telegraph—Copyright.) (Per Press. Association.)

LONDON, April 12

| Mi - Asquith, in moving the second veto resolution in . the House of Commons, emphasised that the absolute veto of the Lords remain untouched except where there is overwhelmingly strong presumption that the House of Commons' decisions expressed the people's opinion. He admitted that there were conceivable actual cases wherein t'he decision of the Commons did represent the opinion of the people, instancing the Scratch majority banded together under the coercion of party exigencies for particular transient purposes on- a crumbling majority which- had lost popular favour. Therefore a second Chamber, even such as the present House of Lords, had uses; and ought to bo allowed to exercise its powers to prevent the abuse of and forms. He explained that according to the resolution two years' delay between the introduction and final passing of a Bill under the new system must be preceded by a general election, and added that though the preamble of the veto bill foreshadowed a change in the second Chamber's constitution, this would take a long time, even in the most favourable circumstances, hence the operative clauses did not travel beyond the resolutions. THE BARGAIN WITH THE . NATIONALISTS. LONDON, April 12. Mr Redmond declares that his lips are sealed regarding the detail of his interviews with any of the Ministers, but denies Mr O'Brien's statements regarding himself. It was ridiculous to pretend that the concessions were dependent on the Nationalists' consent, inasmuch as all the alleged concessions had been strenuously advocated by his party throughout and privately pressed on the. Government"? Mr Redmond denied that the Nationalists had been offered concessions. Mr O'Brien , applied for the Speaker's permission to explain on Thursday regarding Mr Lloyd-George's denial.

Unionist newspapers quote Mr Redmond's statements that guarantees and not concessions were the cause of the difficulty with the Cabinet, thus suggesting that concessions in the Budget are obtainable. The Chronicle says that the only common ground so far is that the interviews with Mr Lloyd-George occurred between no two persons,- and the parties were in too delicate negotiations even to give independently the same account.