Says Party Politics Needed For Democracy

Northern Advocate, 26 July 1943, Page 5

Says Party Politics Needed For Democracy

(PA.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Addressing the National Party conference today, the president (Mr Alex. Gordon) referred to criticism of party politics which has been fostered and capitalised by an organised campaign and had been given expression by Independents who were seeking support at the elections. One was entitled to assume that Independents who had met in conference and subscribed to a particular policy and philosophy were nothing more than another party using the term "Independent” to delude the electors. He believed in party politics because it was essential to a workable democracy. If it was full of ineradicable defects it must follow that Parliamentary Government and, therefore, presumably democracy was doomed. The National Party believed, however, that during a period of extreme national emergency there should be a coming together of the parties and had consistently advocated formation of non-party Government. Responsibility for continuance of party disputes and party legislation was entirely that of the Government of the day. A Government of Independents would be no solution of the problem of party politics. Their election would lead to creation of a multiplicity of parties, and bring the whole system of Democratic Parliamentary Government into contempt and disrepute.