THE BRITISH ELECTIONS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22721, 6 November 1935, Page 8

THE BRITISH ELECTIONS

The interest taken in the impending general elections in the Old Country is reflected in the number of candidates who have been nominated; For the 615 seats in the House of Commons upAvards of 1315 aspirants remain in the field, a slightly larger number than came forward in 1931 on the occasion of what was described at the time as the most sensational general election in British political history. The Conservative Party,, which has been so dominantly behind the National Government during the past four years, is putting forward 512 candidates, and including National Liberal and National Labour representatives the Government group is the largest in the field. The Labour challenge in the constituencies is again, however, a numerically very strong one, the party nominations exceeding 540. The Liberals, on the other hand, with some 150 candidates, are not contesting more than a fourth of the seats. Apparently there will be more three-cornered contests than was the case four years ago, but not in a marked degree. The complicating triangular election factor, so prominent in the elections of 1929, will not be very conspicuous on this occasion. The National Government can have no expectation of a repetition of the remarkable performance of 1931, when, as a result of an appeal to the country, the official Labour Party had to be content to occupy the Opposition benches with a mere handful of representatives in the House of Commons. But the symptoms are favourable to its prospects of securing a satisfactory majority. There has been no evidence that the electors of Great Britain, desire'-.to hand the country • over to the tender mercies of a Socialist Party. So far as the British municipal elections of last week may serve as a guide or augury in l-elation to the general elections the results have been encouraging to the Government. Any change of popular feeling which they may have indicated has not been in- the direction of increased support for the Labour Party. While Labour had anticipated the winning of many seats, the party has had less cause than the Conservatives to congratulate itself in the balancing of gains against losses.