POLITICAL NOTES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18753, 5 January 1923, Page 6

POLITICAL NOTES

SOME OF THE NEW MEMBERS. INTELLECTUALS OF LABOUR. COMMUNIST TAKES THE OATH. (From Ot;n Own Correspondent.) LONDON, November 21. On (ho first day of the new Parliament members had lo be down early to aecim seats. Many arrived before breakfast ant laid their cards in the place of their choice Noticeable of tile earlv arrivals was Lndi As tor, who wore a coat with a deep fin collar. She struggled and managed to se cure a corner seat below the gangway on tin Ministerial side of the House. When she had raced to the place sh< coveted, she saw that it was next to Colone Ovetton, who is u member oi a well-knowr browing firm. “I hope you don’t mind mi sitting hero,” said Lady Astor. “Not at. all,’ said the honourable and gallant colonel. St cards were deposited. Later Lady Astor laughingly remarked with reference to her position next, to Colone Gretton: “Nemesis will overtake all those who, like Mr Churchill, come against drinl and the women.” A Labour member shouted: "The now Coalition,” and the House hat one of its heartiest bursts of laughter. “LABOUR” INTELLECTUALS. Labour has doubled its numbers in* Par liament, but most of the new men whe really represent Labour, as distinguished froit Socialism, are entirely unknown, or have no thing more than a local reputation. Slid distinction ns is included in the new mem bers is found among tho “intellectuals.” Mi Ramsay Macdonald, Mr Philip Snowden, Mi Patrick Hastings, K.C., Mr Sidney Webb Mr Noel Buxton, Mr Charles Roden Buxton Mr Arfhor Ponsonby, Mr E. D. Morel, Mi H. B. Lees-Smith, and Dr Salter were non< of them in the late Parliament. Some o them have previous experience at Westmin ster, but only two of them as members o: the Labour Party—Mr Macdonald and Hi Snowdon. These men, however, have n< title whatever to speak for Labour as lab our. Their one object is to capture th< party for Socialism. MR SIDNEY WEBB. The ordinary trade union leader has n( chance in political strategy against sue! men (writes a correspondent in the Morning Post) whose very presence in the . Labom Party is destructive of its claim to- spea! for Labour. Indeed, they have no nion claim than the leaders of any other parti elected by tho votes of working men to speal for it. All these are men of superior educe lion who have developed a Socialist kink Most of them were pacifists during the war It is Mr Sidney Webb who has done men than anybody else, except perhaps Mrs Webb to capture the Labour Party for Socialism He is a tireless wirepuller, and, whether In appears much in the debates or not it wil b? ho who will be directing the policy all thi time. Mr Ramsay Macdonald has real Par liamentary gifts, bur, as somebody onci said about him, he is a Red Socialist on tin Continent, a mild Labour man in his con stitueucy, and a pood and reasonable Libera in fho House of Commons. Moat of tin Trade Union men in the Commons knov very well how to manage a mass meeting but are not much good in House of Com mona debates. Air Arthur Ponsonby was once page t< Queen Victoria, and he confesses that ever a. Labour audience is much more inclined ti listen to him when he refers to those earh days than when he wants to talk Laboui politics. He was once private secretary t< Sir H. Campbell-Bannerman, and his Social ism is really an expression of his extremi Radicalism and his Pacifist sympathies. THE NEW LEADER OF OPPOSITION. Mr namsny MacDonald has been electee chairman of the Parliamentary Labour Party This means that, with the precedence to lx accorded the Labour Party over the Inde pendent Liberals, Mr MacDonald will bi the virtual Leader of the Opposition, M; Asquith will, on all formal occas-ons, hi obliged to take the second place. The ques lions relating to business, which were ,pu alternately by the Liberal and Labour Part’ lenders in the last Parliament, will he pu solely by the Labour Party. The sharing o whins’ rooms will cease. Other accommo dation will be provided for the Liberals. Among tho rights accorded to the I.eadci of the Opposition are: To follow the Prinn Minister in debate, (o ask vital questions o urgent home and foreign policy; to asl weekly on Thursdays the question as to thi programme of business the following week to have precedence in Opposition motioni and amendments to Government proposals to walk side by eide with the Prime Ministe: when leading the Commons across to tin House of Lords to hear a message from thi King. LABOUR PARTY’S CHIEF HOSTESS. Mrs Clynes, wife of the deputy-chairmaj of the Labour Party, will he the party’: chief hostess. Mr Ramsay MacDonald, thi new loader, is a widower. Mrs Clynes is i abort, hright-eycd woman, with well-cu regular features and an alert expression “Labour. I fancy, will not entertain on sucl an extensive scale os other Opposition partie have don©, because it is poorer,” said Mn Clynes, in an interview. “Most of bur entertaining wil! be done, ! imagine, through the medium of the Half Circle Club. I founded the club, jointly witl Airs Sidney Webb, some years ago, for tin chief purpose of bringing together socialh the wives of the lending Labour men, whi otherwise would have had little opportunit; for meeting.” THE PROHIBITION AIEAIBER. “I've come to shake 'em np a hit!” Ii these words Mr E. Scrymgeour, the Prohibi lionist, who ousted Air Churchill from Dun dee, greeted a group of cheering admirer who mol him at Euston Station in jubilan spirits. He wore tho whit© Prohibition col ours in his buttonhole, and was accompaniei by his wife. Asked to give a reason for thi revulsion of feeling against, Afr Churchill, h aserted emphatically that there had beoi growing for a long time past a great anti pathy to him on account of “his war dis position in general.” Air Scrymgeour is under no delusion ns t the reason for his success. “I do not clojn that this is a pure victory for Prohibition,' he declared, “but there is not a man o woman who voted for me on polling da.; who did not understand exactly that I an going to vote for Prohibition.” Ho state* that he has strong sympathy with the Lab our cause, and that “Prohibition ond Lab our” would be the main planks of hia plat form, though, he added, the Labour Part; officially “never wanted m© at all.” "Prohibition has been a serious busincs with mo all my life, and I am hero to hel] it forward." COMMUNIST TAKES THE OATH. The man who sniggers at kings and laugh nl Constitutions has sworn allegiance t King George V. Air J. T. W. New-bold, th Communist M.P., who strides about savin; that ho "won Alotherwell for Aloscow,” stooi np in the House of Commons, raised hi right arm, pointed his forefinger to Heaven and affirmed: “I will he faithful and ben true allegiance to his Alajesty King Georg V, his heirs and successors, according t law.” Air Newbold, having presumably made mental reconciliation between his affirma tion of loyalty and his love for Lenin shrugged his shoulders, grasped the lapel of his coat, and passed on to the Speaker’ Chair. Afr Whitley grasped his hand, er gaged him in conversation rather longer tha is customary, and the Communist M.F passed out with diminished swagger, bu greater dignity.