GENERAL ELECTION

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18756, 12 July 1935, Page 9

GENERAL ELECTION

FORECAST IN BRITAIN NEW'CABINET AS PRELUDE MR. BALDWIN’S HINTS LONDON, Juno 15. Most political prophets will be i;>.:founded if there is not a general election in Britain within four months. The expectation, based on hints thrown out by Mr Baldwin and Sir Thomas Inskip, is that a campaign will be launched during the autumn. One of the chief obstacles to an np peal to the people for a fresh mandate was removed by the reconstruction o! the Cabinet, last week. The former Prime Minister, Mr Ramsay MacDonald, was not in good health. But, more important than that from the Government’s point of view, he was not in good odour with the' public. Though admittedly he had rendered great services .as head of the National Administration, his short-comings were numerous and well known, die lacked the ability to come' to quick decisions, he inclined to tlje platitudinous, and his control over foreign affairs was shaky. He, more than Sir John Simon, the late Foreign Minister, was blamed, perhaps unfairly, for the evident failure of British diplomacy on the Continent, and for a long succession of; ineffectual conferences. THE MINISTERIAL CHAIN Nor has'the so-called reconstruction of the Cabinet evoked much enthusiasm, for it was more in the nature of an extensive reshuffle than an extensive infusion of new blood. Some of the weak links have been recast, and the rearrangement may ease stresses on others, but the Ministerial chain is certainly not as strong as it might have been, had, for example, Mr Winston Churchill and Mr Lloyd George been invited to accept portfolios Practically the only point on which there is no popular disagreement is that the substitution of Mr Baldwin for,Mr MacDonald was a correct and laudable move. Mr Baldwin may possibly be indolent and uninterested in the minutiae of administration, but he is trusted by everybody and has the capacity to "rise to great occasions. Moreover, his courage, magnanimity, and breadth of viewpoint qualify him very definitely for leadership. There are 22 members of the new Cabinet, and only seven of them remain in the offices which they held under Mr MacDonald. Two more chairs will be needed at the Council table, for, while three members have gone out, five have gone in. Tho Cabinet loses Lord Sankey, Sir John Gilmour, and Sir Hilton Young, and gains Mr Anthony Eden, Mr Ernest Brown, Lord Eustace Percy, Lord Zetland, and Mr Malcolm MacDonald. Of these two —Lord Zetland and .Lord Eustace Percy—did not hold office under Mr MacDonald. Quite a lot of criticism is heard concerning the increase in the Ministerial team, but Mr Baldwin was guided by a natural anxiety to make his Cabinet as representative as possible of the parties supporting the National Administration, Despite its size, the GabinGtvwilL.be guided in future, as i always, by an “inner circle” of its most' important members —these members 'being practically identical with those who initiated the policy of the MacDonald Government. WHO’S WHO ' The displacement of Sir John Simon as Foreign Secretary was expected, but it remains to be seen whether his successor will do tiny better. Sir John suffered for the sins of his Ministerial colleagues (those of Mr MacDonald particularly), and Sir Samuel, lloare may conceivably endure a somewhat similar fate. However, he will be fortunate in having assistants of jpeeial experience, notably Mr Eden, whose diplomatic reputation is already mviable. In his dealings with ioioign nations Sir Samuel will inevitably bo handicapped ; by his own temperament, which is frigid ami unbending. He is the personification of tho English artisto.erat as imagined by the average foreigner. His conduct in charge of the India Office has shown, on the other hand, that he possesses the qualities of firmness, consistency, and conciliation. Consequently, lie may turn out to be a surprising success after all. A MAN OF BROAD IDEAS Lord Zetland enters the Ministry , with a reputation for sound knowledge of Indian affairs" It would seem that he is particularly suited to the Secretaryship of India, his record as Governor of Bombay from IJI7 to 1922 having been a brilliant one. Lord Eustace Percy has been out of office since 11)2!), but iie is a very able Parliamentarian anil a man of broad reforming ideas, and, as Minister without i'ortfolio, he should be very useful. There will be envy of Mr Malcolm MacDonald’s rare fortune in getting into the Cabinet at 33, but he is popular, an excellent, debater, and very industrious. It cannot bo denied, however, that his inclusion was mainly due to the fact that the choice of candidate among the National Labor Party was extremely limited. Lord Halifax, we are told, would have preferred to have retired, but was prevailed upon to go to the War Office. He is a loyal and highminded supporter of the principle of National Government and a sound administrator. A difficult and probably thankless task awaits Mr Ernest Brown as Minister for Labor. The Ministry of Labor is regarded as the grave of reputations, but Mr Brown may survive the test., for lie is a man of strong character and very industrious. Certainly, he will have a rare opportunity to distinguish himself, for he will be primarily responsible for the new regulations of the Unemployment Assistance Board, and for coping with the unemployment problem generally. By the same token Mr Oliver Stanley should be a success as Minister of Education. Viewed ns n whole, the Cabinet should be an improvement even though it is by no means the best that could have been fashioned out. of the available human material. It will not be more, but less, “reactionary” than the last. Moreover, there is every reason to suppose that Mr Baldwin will rely for support on the progressive wing of the Conservative Party in alliance with the National Labor and National Liberal elements. He should thus be able to keep the heavy masses l of the Tory host under proper control.