Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1937. POLITICS IN BRITAIN

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19372, 9 July 1937, Page 4

Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE, FRIDAY, JULY 9, 1937. POLITICS IN BRITAIN

It is doubtful whether at any time in the past the political situation in Great Britain has been so stable as it has since the formation of the National Government which first came into office following the crisis resulting from the Labour Government's handling of the national finances. Tt was said at the time that the huge majority then given to Mr. Mae Donald and Mr. Baldwin was the outcome of panic on the part of the electors and that the position would be amended when next there was an appeal to the country. When the dissolution took place in October, 1935, the Government could count on 506 supporters, while the total of the Opposition foices was exactly .100. As a result of the elections the following month, the Government secured the return of 427 candidates and the Opposition was strengthened by 84 additional seats. The Labour Party itself had fewer members than in 1923 and filled almost exactly one-quarter of the total number of seats available. This result did not suggest eithei that the National Government had lost the confidence of the people or that the Labour Party had clone much to rehabilitate itself in the eyes of the country. It is true that the Government majority was substantially reduced, but that is always the tendency when the Opposition has been weakened to the stage of impotency. All the evidence suggested that the people of Great Britain had found an unusual merit in a Government that functioned, not on party lines, but with the support of members of all parties and in the interests of the nation instead of a class.

Since the last general elections there have been further opportunities of testing the feeling of a substantial section of the country, and the many by-elections that have been held show that there has been no dramatic change in the attitude towards the Government. An isolated by-election, of course, is no true indication of general political trends, but in the last nine or ten weeks alone there have been eleven such contests and in only one instance has the Government lost a seat to the Labour Party. In eight contests Conservative candidates have been returned and in two others National Liberals have retained seats previously held by that party. In some instances, it is true, the majorities have been reduced, but the most striking feature, in the circumstances, has been the general failure of Labour Party candidates to materially increase the support for the party. In most cases the polling has been smaller than at the general elections and this rather suggests a satisfaction with the status quo; dissatisfied electors, anxious for a change, are more likely to go to the poll than those who are content with things as they are. It is not as if the past twelve months have been without serious political issues which might have been expected to divide the nation. The Government's attitude towards the League of Nations over Abyssinia provided a rallying ground for the Opposition, but it did not prove effective. It was followed almost immediately by the Spanish crisis, in regard to which there was a marked division of opinion, and in the middle of this came the constitutional crisis and the abdication of the King. None of these things, however, served to jeopardise the Government's position in the electorates, but they seem, instead, to have consolidated opinion in its favour. The remarkable feature of the situation is that there has been nothing particularly spectacular about the National Government's term of office; indeed, it has been characterised by a certain measure of stodginess. Under its administration, however, progress in every direction has been sure and steady and it has given to the people a feeling of safety and' is conspicuous

in other countries by its absence. It is significant that the Government, at no time, has relied for support upon inspiring leadership. Its first leader, Mr. MacDonald, was defeated for his own constituency and Mr. Baldwin was notable for his solidity rather than his enterprise. Mr. Chamberlain comes very much into the same category, inspiring confidence more than enthusiasm. Thus it is plain that the National Government does not depend for its success upon its leadership, but almost entirely upon the saneness and soundness of its policy. Throughout its terms it has been national in its outlook as well as in its name. Its members include those of almost every shade of political opinion and it has never attempted to legislate upon purely party lines. It is correct, no doubt, that it has been strengthened by the disunity and weakness of the other parties, but this alone does not account for the support that has been accorded it throughout the country. The only possible inference is that in the National Government the people have discovered a new system of administration that is peculiarly and particularly suited to the character of the race. It is possible, of course, that a change will manifest itself sooner or later, but in the meantime there seems to be no question of the continued strength of the present Government.