“CUT-THROAT POLITICS."

Taranaki Daily News, 27 August 1930, Page 8

“CUT-THROAT POLITICS."

The views ‘ recently expressed by the member for Egmont, Mr. C. A. Wilkinson, upon the failure of party government will meet w.th a good deal of sympathy. Speaking at the first annual meeting of the New Zealand Political Association, Mr. Wilkinson had little difficulty in showing that by reason of party politics Parliament had almost reached a condition o' stalemate and was finding itelf impotent to deal with the problems of the day. The iv-sul! is that taxation continues to increase.-’ the economic outlook grows steadily worse, and the remedies for these evils appear as far off as ever. It needs little study of contemporary politics to convince the electors that such is the position to-day. The difficulty is to find a system which preserves the spi.’.'u of democratic role without the evils of pa.’ty poli-ies. Air Wilkinson’s !si.’.qgefetion is a more or less elective Alinistry. He would have the Prime Minister elected by the two Houses of Parliament and then allowed to choose his colleagues, or he would allow Parliament to elect the whole Ministry. But assuming this were attempted, it seems inevitable that a policy would have to be forthcoming to which all members of an elected Ministry would subscribe, and in the support of which they must be prepared to face, if need be. trial at the bar of mibli? opinion. Were su<ii a Alinistry chosen, as Mr. Wilkinson suggested, from all r clitical sections of Parliament, it e<ccn,f. almost too much to expect that such a policy would be possible. On the other hand, the war years showed that in face of a national emergency party politics could be placed aside until that emergency had been overcome. It is an open question whether the peace problems confronting the British Empire are not as grave as those created by the Great War. What affects the whole affects each portion of the British commonwealth of nations, and New Zealand knows that 6he will have her share of the difficulties to overcome. Whether it is possible to bring about a sufficient realisation of the seriousness of the problem to end the domination of party politics in Parliament is a very open question. So far there is little indication of such a project being possible, but that ie not to say a way cannot be found. Air. Wilkinson and those who agree with him will find it necessary to work out the practical details as well as to enunciate principles that may be very sound. If that is done the electorate will have an opportunity of judging the proposals' seriously, and it is possible that they will find more general support than is now thought likely.