BRITISH POLITICS

Southland Times, Issue 14580, 22 November 1910, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS

THE IRISH ELEMENTS.

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

TO-DAY

(By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyilght).

LONDON, November 21 Received November 21, 9.30 p.m.

Mr Redmond, in a statement to the Press, declared that dissolution had come unexpectedly and that the time for preparing for the elections was short. The Irish National Directory .will be summoned at the earliest moment to arrange the best policy for dealing with the emergency. MUCH COMMENT. LONDON, November 21. Received November 21, 11 p.m. There is much comment in Ireland in regard to Mr Asquith’s silence on the question of Home Rule in Saturday’s speech. Critics remark that unless further light is forthcoming, Mr O'Brien will be greatly strengthened. He is ready to declare that guarantees have not been obtained, and Mr Redmond has received no definite promise as regards a Home Rule Bill. The only certainty if the Liberals are returned is the passing of the Budget, which is unpopular, practically with all classes in Ireland. MB BE ZB HABDIB. LONDON, November 21. Mr Keir Hardie, at Bradford, said he had read Mr Asquith's speech in order to find justification for dissolution. The only reason assigned was the failure of the veto conference with the Tories. In his opinion the election was intended to hang up the House of Lords question until after the coronation. Unless the Osborne judgment was reversed the Labour Party would oppose the Liberals in seventy-eight constituencies. B7HS OSBOBNE JUDGMENT. REPORTED REVERSAL. LONDON, November 21. The ‘"Times” states that Mr Asquith will announce to-morrow the Government policy, which will include reversal of the Osborne judgment, qualified only by a stipulation that the pledge exacted by Labourites shall not be enforced. MB CHAMBER.IiAIN'S WISH. LONDON. November 21. Mr Joseph Chamberlain, in a letter to Mr Balfour re-echoing his Nottingham speech as embodying great national and Imperial reforms, wishes him success in his fight for freedom. union and progress. ANOTHER SECESSION. LONDON, November 21.

Mr F. B. T. Money-Coutts, Liberal candidate for East Hampshire in 1906, has seceded. He considers that there is no room in the present policies for a Moderate Liberal and Free-trader.

MB ASQUITH’S SPEECH. LONDON. Nov. 20,

Mr Asquith, continuing his speech at the National Liberal Club, said that the Tories were determined not to face the elections with tne incubus of the Lords on their back. They held that something called a second Chamber, with a coat of thin democratic varnish mpst be substituted, consisting of a nebulous body, of uncertain size and undefined proportions, of hereditary peers, officially qualified peers, and others chosen by somebody, somewhere, and somehow. The Opposition expected the country to vote for what to all intents and purposes was a ghost. The Government’s plan created an immediately workable instrument to settle deadlocks. It was the only plan before the country -which even pretended to meet the urgent necessities of the case. Great social and economic ideals could not wait; therefore he asked for a renewal of confidence and with their united forces and disciplined energy the Liberals would make the longest step ■of a lifetime for the real enfranchisement of the people. Mr Asquith did not mention Home Rule.

The National Liberal Federation’s programme at the conference now being held at Hull has been revised, various resolutions being dropped. It is proposed to concentrate the entire business on the single issue of the House of Lords. EEEEHENDTJM: PROPOSED. LONDON. Nov. 20. In the. House of Lords Lord Balfour gave notice of a motion in favour of a referendum in the event of an irreconcileable difference springing up between the two Houses. Lord Heneage gave notice of a resolution urging a redistribution of seats in ("Jreat Britain and Ireland. A BITTER SPEECH. LONDON, Nov. 20. Mr C. F. Masterman, Under - Secretary for Home Affairs, speaking at Stratford said that the coming campaign would be short and severe. The Government stood for the people first and last and all the time. The Lords saw the writing on the wall. They disliked allusions to peers who became bankrupt, married actresses, or brought more moriey than Mr Redmond into the country, and they therefore said; “Let us remove these unhappy people from the House and leave only sound, democratically minded, and popularly approved people like Lords Milner and Curzon.” —(Laughter).

TWO VIEWS. LONDON, Nov. 20. Sir E. Grey, in a letter dealing with the Berwick election, declares that it will be necessary to impress the opposition with the need of yielding. Mr Ramsay Mac Donald. M.P., in a letter published in Leicester says: “This is no time for squabbling over the second election. We must close our ranks for the final contest over the Veto question.”