“THREE PARTIES OR TWO?"

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21383, 10 July 1931, Page 11

“THREE PARTIES OR TWO?"

SOCIALISM AS A PERIL SIR 1. GRIGG’S APPEAL. (From Our Own Correspondent.) LONDON, May 15. Sir Edward Grigg, M.P., late Governor of Kenya Colony, and one time private secretary to Mr Lloyd George, makes an appeal, in a small book he has written, to Liberals and Conservatives tp unite in facing a national emergency. The title is “ Three Parties or Two?■ Sir Edward shows that his former leader, Mr Lloyd George,, is .heading straight for union with'the Socialists. He.does not disguise the difficulties which may attend the formation of another Liberal Unionist Party by reason of the traditional devotion of the party to Freetrade. He himself thinks that, after nearly 30 years of controversy, the majority* of the electorate is against Freetrade; but he recognises that Freetrade- to older Liberals _is regarded “ hot merely as an economic doctrine, but as a political faith.” Sir Edward puts forward a plan to meet the arguments against fiscal reform which have aroused doubts among working class voters —the cry of dear food; the fear that manufacturing interests will exert pressure, on the Government that will eventuate in a high tariff policy; that-the profit will not go to the workers or the consumers, but elsewhere. He suggests (1) the formation of a tariff board ,to advise the Government on all the proposals submitted to it, and to protect the Government and unofficial members of Parliament against pressure of an illegitimate kind; and (2) the setting up of trade associations on whjch producers and consumers of any given com; modify and the owners and managers engaged in the industry proposed to be protected shall be represented. . Thus, he argues, every tariff would be considered from the point of view of producers and consumers. The practicability of interposing bodies of this kind in carrying out the avowed objects of Conservative policy will be no doubt matters of discussion. The alternative ,to copying the example of 1886 is, he reiterates, Socialism, “ whose driving force is classconsciousness, class-jealousy, class-hate.” The author states that he has one object and only one, “to persuade Conservatives and Liberals to pursue a common line of action in a supremely important cause, the re-establishment of national welfare and national security, both imperilled today as never before in 150 years.” He asserts that the only practical alternative petween protection and national safety On the one hand and on the other Socialism and class warfare is “negation, inaction, confusion, and doubt.” • He dismisses with sound arguments such remedies as a national Government formed of the three parties; a coalition of Conservatives and Liberals; and the formation of a new party; and he calls on the Right Wing Liberals to iwitate the example set by Lord Hartington, Mr Joseph Chamberlain, Mr Goschen, and others 45 years ago. ALLIANCE WITH SPENDTHRIFT government. The Times considers that Sir Edward's appeal is worthy of attention, not so much because it comes from one with a record of good service in the House of Commons and in colonial administration, as because it puts plainly a case at which other distinguished Liberals have hinted, and reaches a decision at which those others have not yet been able definitely to arrive. Whether he succeeds in making illustrious converts or not, there can be no doubt that his analysis of the. political and industrial situation will be approved by many of his readers, and that the deductions which he makes from that analysis are logical and practical. ... The truth is that Mr Lloyd George by his election policy in 1929 and by his subsequent policy has erased retrenchment from the Liberal faith, and that, while alliance with a spendthrift Government is perfectly consistent in him, no Liberal who still believes in retrenchment can consistently follow him.. Where are such Liberals to go? Their natural course would be to turn to the Conservatives, and their wise course would be to organise themselves so that their advent would be notable and influential. The great stumbling block is the Conservative commitment to fiscal reform. . .... Sir Edward Grigg’e appeal is an appeal to shorten the nfe of this Parliament by converting Liberal members- not. already converted, but in the less insensible atmosphere of the constituencies it may help . to make a repetition of this Parliament impossible by securing among Liberals and Conservatives attention to the advice of a true and candid friend . of both.