THE PROGRESSIVE PARTIES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8683, 17 March 1914, Page 4

THE PROGRESSIVE PARTIES

The “Lyttelton Times” thinks the Auckland “Star” is taking tho declaration of tho executive of the Social Democratic party that it will countenance no alliance with the Liberal party a little too seriously. “In the first place,” says our southern contemporary, “we are not aware that there has been any suggestion for an alliance between the Social Democratic party and the Liberal party. The Social Democrats, as distinguished from the ‘Red Feds,’ and the Liberals have a good deal more in common than a desire to turn the Conservative Government out of office, but an alliance between them is simply impossible while the Social Democrats persist in believing that it is the right and proper function of the tail to wag the dog. It is quite certain, however, that in constituencies where they do not put up candidates of their own tho great majority of the Social Democrats will vote with the Liberals. The ‘Red Feds,’ of course, will side with the Conservatives, as they did at the last general election, in the hope of creating a condition of affairs from which they may derive some passing advantage, and no doubt their support will be welcomed by Mr Massey and his colleagues very gratefully if nob very effusively. But the sane Socialists, however dissatisfied they may be with th© Liberal party and the" Labour party, will not risk a repetition of the fiasco of 1911 by voting for impossible candidates of their own colour or for candidates of tho very opposite colour. The lessons of two* years ago - have not been, thrown away on any of the progressive parties. and We shall bo greatly surprised if tho efforts that are being made to get the assistance of the Social Democrats in bolstering up the Conservative Government are any more successful than were the attempts to set the Liberal party and the Labour party at one another’s throats.”