BRITISH POLITICS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIII, Issue 1716, 6 January 1920, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

CAN LABOUR ASSUME OFFICE?

TREND OF, BY-ELECTIONS,

LIBERAL PARTY WEAKENING,

By Electric Telegraph. —Copyright. Australian-New Zealand Cable Association. Received January 6, 9.20 a.m. LONDON, Jan. 5, The Spcn Valley by-election, which iesulted in the return of Myers (Labour), who defeated Sir John Simon, coupled with the fact that at tho last .pine by-clections the Labour vote has increased from 38,722 to 97,473. whereas the Coalition vote has fallen from 80,477 to 79,090, raises the question in several newspapers whether Labour is leedy to assume the responsibility of Government. 1

Mr Winston Churchill maintained in his speech at Sundarland that the Labour Party was now in the period of development when it was quite unfitted for the task and would come hopelessly to grief. Several prominent Labour leaders recently admitted that the party was not yet ready for the Treasury benches and does not desire office following tho next elertion. Moderate men in the party think that a preliminary period in strong opposition would better fit them for power. Tho general result of the _ by-elections seems to indicate a weakening of the Liberal Party as a political force, coupled with_ the eventual coalescing of tho present Coalition into a Centre Party, attracting all shades of political thought, except La.bour, and perhaps the extreme Tory Party’, which might form a party of Right under Lord Robert Cecil. v