CLASS-CREED & GRASS-GREED

NZ Truth, Issue 882, 21 October 1922, Page 4

CLASS-CREED & GRASS-GREED

ELECTORS' ESCAPE: WILFORD & WARD OR WARD & WILFORD. Where a Parliament consists o£ only two parties, -tyith no independent members or detached units of any sort, there is less chance for intrigue and "ratting" than m a three-party Parliament. -„.•:: . : : : : In practice, however, a two-party Chamber of that character never existsi Even where there are no inde-* pendents, one party (or both) generally has a. "tail" consisting of members whose .party allegiance can be altered i by persuasion or by something: .stronger. It. is already obvious that , we are to have a plethora pf ."independents" ' at the "coming election. ' : . ■■ ' ■"■' , ... ' :: ::• '■ ".-n .;; .. A, New South Wales's experience has proved that, when there is nobody else to seduce, the party managers m a two-party Assembly can seduce -the Speaker. Twice has a Liberal Speaker warmed the Chair for a Labor Government — m one case m circumstances of unforgettable degradation, requiring the intervention of the police on the sacred floor of the Chamber. A three-party system marked by the selling of support, by No. 3 party to N0.. 2 m order to oust No. 1, cannot be more degrading than a two : party condition that drags even the Speakership m the mud. ! : !! ' !! A two-party Chamber, then, is no more immaculate than a three-party Chamber. And two-partyism m Australasia suffers from other obvious defects. F,or example, glance once again at ! New South Wales. Labor is stained with Revo-patriotism; the Nationalists (former Liberals) are deeply tinged .with Reaction. The Redness of Labor put the Nationalists m office at the last General Election, jusjt as it has kept the Masseyites m power m New Zealand. The reactionary tendencies of the Nationalists already threaten to reverse public opinion. Australian electors .of moderate view have long been sick of the Redness of one party, the Reaction of the other. Out of their state of mind has grown a movement, .to create a middle party — a party of progress, free from extremism. That is what we believe our own Liberal-Labor Party to be. In Australia this movement has proceeded along the lines of forming a •Country Party. Now, a Country Party, if free from the excesses of the older parties, would be better than nothing. But the new middle party, if it is to fulfil its' aim, should be broad and not sectional. The name Country Party implies sectionalism. The idea of Country versus Town is almost as repellant and anti-national as the idea of Class v. Class. The new development of democratic i progress and political sincerity, re- [ quired both m Australia and New Zealand, should be neither classconscious nor grass-conscious. Grassconsciousness, equally with classconsciousness, is unworthy of national unity. ! ! : ! : : Glance now from the Australian Parliaments to the New Zealand Parliament. Class-consciousness already degrades our House of Representatives. And some members of the Auckland Farmers' Union have proclaimed the nobility of the Country Party ideal. They are unlikely to go any further. The. New Zealand elector is eager to escape from the Revo-patriotism of Holland and Fraser and the Reaction of Masseyism, But will he make any escape along the lines of an arrogant and self-sufficient hayseedlsm, run by landed persons who will one day realise, that any sort of sectionalism is the worst enemy property rights can encounter? The , New Zealand, elector would be willing to escape from extremes by ta/king to his heart a middle party that is progressive, non-sectional, national. To such *a party class-con-sciousness and grass- consciousness would be equally abhorrent. : : s : : : In ' New Zealand a restored Liberal Party would give the broad basis that the new political development requires. Given a Liberal Party worthy of ' the best days of Seddonism, a three-party House of Representatives would be worth while. It is coming m any case. The truly Liberal section m the House and the country is divided. How can it be consolidated? Will Sir Joseph Ward come out of retirement and help Mr Wllford? Will his health permit? The country needs the Liberalism for which he stands. Parliament sadly lacks his financial sense and economic grip. Tile Country Party may be good enough for politically disillusioned Australians— -though that is doubtful. It certainly will not fill the bill m New Zealand. ~ To borrow a cricketing phrase: "Sir Joseph, can you?"