“BEHIND THE SCENES”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21647, 18 May 1932, Page 7

“BEHIND THE SCENES”

EXPERIENCES IN DOWNING STREET ADDRESS BY MISS DORA WEST. Miss Dora West, 0.8. E., formerly a member of Mr Lloyd George’s staff in Downing street, addressed an audience ot ck-servico men in the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association rooms last evening. Mr P. S. Anderson, president of the Returned Soldiers’ Association, presided. In introducing the speaker, he said that Miss West, during the years 1900-1922 came in contact with many notable people when located in Downing street. In her own words, Miss West was “talking” her way round the world, and this,_ perhaps, was not a very difficult proposition. They were pleased to extend a warm welcome to Miss West. Miss West said she greatly appreciated the honour of being invited to talk to men, and felt it all the more handsome of her hosts to give her the opportunity in face of an erroneous report that had crept into circulation in Dunedin regarding her ideals in politics and her opinion concerning the value of men and the place of women in that field. So far, said Miss West, from desiring to “ sweep away men from politics or wanting a Parliament of women, she would run a mile rather than face any such monstrous regiment. She liked nothing better than her audience and an opportunity to talk things over as an interested observer, and asked nothing more than to be allowed to “ pull her weight” and do her best to help in the task that confronted humanity to-day—-that of putting the world to rights. Speaking of her experience in Downing street and Government circles as a Minister’s secretary during the reconstruction period following the war, Miss West said she went to that work from a Tory agricultural home, wondering whether she would find it possible to work witn Liberals. Three years later she came out of Downing street a confirmed follower of Mr Lloyd George, having been an interested student of political parties and problems in the interim, and feeling that political work was 9! the utmost importance for the well-being of the people, and work that should properly 'engage the grave and honest attention of all citizens, regardless of party labels or inherent prejudice. Miss West raised the interesting debating point that as she saw things on her tour of the Empire, she found that while life was certainly freer in the new countries overseas, there was more freedom of thought in England, and people there were less inclined to take ideas readymade and “ off the peg," less prone to base their opinions on slogans and.cliches, and more ready to take men and women on their individual merits, and thus had she found it quite proper and possible for her to take her share in the work of her political party and to stand for Parliament on level terms with the men in an honest effort to help. _ That, said the speaker, was all she desired, and all she thought any woman had any right to expect. There •was not, and ought not to be, any royal road to Parliament for women, and when the women of New Zealand asked her how the parliamentary goal might be achieved, she always warned them that it was a long way to Tipperary and the road was rough. , The sjieaker said her own experience of politicians’ at Home was that they were a hard-working crowd, seriously doing their best to help to retrieve the situation after the disastrous World War, and that it only needed a short period of office and responsibility to show a man of any weight that national problems must come before party prejudice. Miss West said she rejoiced to see how that sanity of thought permeated all people at Home today. and she thought it spoke volumes for the innate chivalry and commonsense of the dockers of Rotherhithe, where she herself stood for Parliament in 1929, that they had put their private party views in their pockets last October, when the crisis was acute, and had elected as their member a National candidate who was a non-Socialist and a woman to boot! Her only regret was that she was not the lucky woman, having been held up in New Zealand by illness. Speaking of her work in the Ministry of Food at Home during the years of food control, the speaker told how she acted as private secretary to the Minister, and found it a liberal education from many points of view. The Ministry was trying to satisfy the appetites of some 40,000,000 people, all of whom appeared to have different tastes and ideas, and all too many of' whom felt it incumbent upon them to write to the Food Controller about it. During that period spent under the shadow of • Big Ben, Miss West remarked that she acquired an extensive knowledge of the language that was understood by the people. Following her chief when Mr M'Curdy went into Downing street as Chief Liberal Whip in the Coalition Government, the speaker told how she found herself in the inner ring of Cabinet business, and gave a'.vivid sketch of life behind the scenes at No. 10, with rapid character studies of leading politicians as she met them at that time. The thing that struck her most, she said, regarding them was the fact that men whose names were household words were just as human as everyone else, and if they were now super-men it was because they had made themselves so. Referring to vivid episodes during her time in Government circles, the lecturer recalled the momentous occasion when Michael Collins and his colleagues were induced to leave their Sinn Fein stronghold and come to London to negotiate the Irish Treaty, which, it was hoped, would bring quiet and content to their unhappy land. Mr Lloyd George, remarked the speaker, had received much blame and abuse for that treaty, but he had the full support and backing of responsible Cabinet colleagues at the time, and it was from the highest motives and with high hopes that such form of settlement bad been sought, and the representatives on both sides had honestly sought to find a common ground that might end a disas- 1 trous state of things and open a brighter chapter in Irish history. Miss West held the close interest ot her audience while she graphically described the tense atmosphere in Downing street during those momentous days,_ while all worked early and late to achieve a settlement, and told how, leaving No. 12 late one night after a long day’s work, she found Downing street filled with kneeling Irishwomen praying for their country’s peace. Sketching the scene when victory was achieved at last, at 2 o’clock one morning and the treaty signed, the lecturer told how Michael Collins laid down the pen with the quiet remark, “ I may well have signed my death warrant to-night! ” and how tragically true his words soon proved to be. Speaking in terms of warm admiration of Mr Lloyd George as she knew him from close personal contact over several years, Miss West made her audience feel his dynamic personality and driving force, his amazing personal charm, his gift of “ winged words ” and striking metaphor, hia genial character, his fiery wrath, his twinkling smile, his love of children and animals, his overwhelming affection for “ the people,” and his lion courage in the Lice of odds —all the complex characteristics which went to make up the political figure who was the superman of Europe and the world through six long years of momentous, troubled history. ' “While breath remains in that man’s body.” remarked Miss West, “I shall never believe that he is of no further account! He has a disconcerting knack of confounding critics unexpectedly." Referring to England’s present Prime Minister, Miss West said Mr Ramsay MacDonald had always commanded personal respect. She described him as a man of high ideals and sensitive feeling, fine drawn and highly strung, somewhat aloof from his fellows, and taking himself very seriously. Miss West also referred to Mr Baldwin. Mr Winston Churchill, and Mr J. H. Thomas. The last-named, she said, was of interest overseas as Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs, and certainly deserved a place in any gallery of out standing personalities. Miss West was accorded a hearty vote of thanks at the conclusion of her interesting address.