PARLIAMENTARY SCRAP

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17955, 6 December 1932, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY SCRAP

MERRY ROUGH & TUMBLE MR. LLOYD GEORGE ON SAMUEL SCENE WILL LONG BE. REaleSMfi KITED LONDON, Oct. 26. All the. big guns in Parliament. Jet go with, shot and shell op Tuesday, night when the House of Commons debated the Labor Party’s vote of censure on the National Government. The motion was defeated bv 462 to 55, a majority of 407. Leaders of every party and section blazed away merrily at each other in what became the best rough and tumble scrap tl,iis dull Parliament has, seen. They lay about them in fine style ; the Premier, Air. Ramsay MacDonald, his fighting - blood .roused by taunts, lambasted .good old “Uncle George” Lnnsbury. Mr.. Jimmy M,axto.n, leader of the Labor “rebels,” said nasty things to his former leader. .Sir Herbert Samuel, rashly aimed barbed polished shafts at his former colleague, Air. Lloyd George. Finally, as the smoke of battle cleared, just one picturesque white-haired figure dominated the scene of verbal carnage. Mr. Lloyd George, the outlaw, captain of a little band of freebooters, oldest member of the House, proved himself once, more complete master of the assembly. It was one of those scenes Parliament \vill. remember. Mr. Lloyd George perhaps cuts little “ice” in British politics to-day, newspapers may ignore him as a back number, his erstwhile colleagues sneer at .him —but ,that lie. is still the most dynamic tighter in politics none Will denv.

Listlessly the House had hoard Mr. George Lanshurv hurl his denunciations at the National Government for its rntlilessness 1 in handling the means test, bontewhut bored they heard the Prints Minister compare, ibe. record of his pro sent,government in the, matter of .unemployment with the record of his own former government. Callously they trooped out when an inoffensive backbencher rose, to carry on the debate. No one wanted to hear him—the battle to come, between bir Herbert ,Samuel a ini Mr. Lloyd George was the only thing thov wanted.

SAMUEL’S HARSH ATTACK Then the hells .rang in the smokingrooms and corridors. Sir I lerbert Samuel was “up,” Members trooped hack and soon the House was all attention. Ibe Government front bench was Ramsay MacDonald, Air. Stanley Baldwin, had Mr. Neville Chamberlain in line, with feet stuck on the table before them. Not one of them would miss the promised sideshow. Across the aisle at the corner of the Labor trout bench sat Mr. J.loyd George busy with pencil and paper, adding to Ills store of ammunition as Sir Herbert rashly aimed his barbed darts at him. Some tunes

‘ L.( 5.” joined in the laughter at his expense. particularly at the gibe that having attacked everything. “Lloyd would soon he driven to attack George, failing anything else. Sir Herbert’s wit was good if‘carefully prepared. His manner restrained without trace of malice. All tho time Mr. Llovd George waited for his prey like a, eat with a mouse. COMPLETE .MASTERY OF HOUSE Now he is standing at his old place at the despatch box; his notes before him; spectacles in hand. Quietly lie begins when tho applause subsides, tic makes a handsome gesture, to the leaders of the Government, declaring that Sir Herbert had no ground for accusing them of dishonoring election pledges in the matter of the. introduction of protection, in three minutes, he has gained complete mastery of the House. Members crowded on the benches and spectators in (he galleries craned forward not to miss n word of the melodious voice. Now he turns on sir Herbert, sitting uncomfortably just below the gangway opposite. He brushes contemptuously aside his. “synthetic wit.” Ho accuses Sir Herbert. Samuel of wrecking the Liberal Party; of placing free trade past the hope, of resurrection. Fir Herbert, went over the top into battle only to get entangled in his own barbed wire. Now’ he lias fallen Hat on his face in no man's land,, film House roars with laughter. Tlqs.'is what they have been waiting for). The luckless Sir lletbeit Samuel shifts in his seal while relent Jessly gibes, and jeers are flung at nun. Now* -Mr. Lloyd George couples Sir John Simon in his'onslaught. “The great race of which, uiv right honorable friend is so distinguished, a member,” he says, “used to he divider oho two, sects,, Sflflducpes. and Pharisees. The Sadducees took a broad, tolerant. "->j to sav materialistic view of life and the Pharisees a narrow, self-righoom one, straining at gnats after swnllmp huge camels, but, professing a working faith ii) the resurrection. “There,” with a dramatic wave to Sir John ,Siipoij,- “sits the Hadducce. and there,” pointing to Sir Herbert, “is tin Pharisee. ” Finally he turns to the Prime Minister and his colleagues, shaking a warning finger in their faces, as he tqlls them of ilioii' responsibilities and pleads with them to stop spending hundreds of millions of pounds oil useless doles ami to undertake, a, vast programme of urgently needed, public works, slum deaiaiue. vailwnv electrification, land settlement and all those plans advocated bv the United Liberal Party in the almost-lor-gotten..“yellow book’’ of three years ago.

A SPENT FORCE IN POLITICS He ends with one. line passage,, spoken with all the dramatic earnestness of which lie is a master. “I plead with the Government, knowing the gravity of the situation, and graver responsibilities ol the situation, to act for themselves, to act for those thousands who trusted them irrespective of party and to behave as trustees of a great nation.” He sits, down amid roars of applause, in the. lobbies' members ask each oi lier what will be the reaction to fUd!.' in the.country? This morning’s newspapers give (lie ijnswer,; his jibes ami taunts and. peroration are printed in full, bid his sweeping plans,,for putting the, workless army to work rouse, no response. Britain's, most dynamic personality and ablest parliamentarian is a spent force m politics..- It .3.. tragic .but true.