OPENING SHOTS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 87, Issue 274, 19 November 1943, Page 5

OPENING SHOTS

GENERAL ELECTION IN BRITAIN SOME POLITICAL TRENDS (By Telecrupli—Press Association—Copyright) Recd. 6 p.m. London, Nov. 16. Political thought in Great Britain is tending increasingly towards a general election. It is true that this will not take place until the end of the European war, but attention has been switching to it ever since Mr. Churchill’s “four year plan’ was broadcast. His recent Mansion House speech, his reference to post-war plans and the appointment ot Lord Woollon as Minister of Reconstruction have also increased discussion.

Majority opinion in both the Conservative and Labour Parties is swinging towards a general election. It is observed that this is putting Labour Ministers in a somewnat paipful dilemma, since every effort Messrs. Attlee, Morrison, Bevin and Dalton make towards post-war reconstruction may accrue to the credit of Mr. Churchill, and through him to the Conservative Party. It is considered that they can escape from the dilemma by taking care while doing their duty in the Government to see that the country gets a clear, consistent exposition of Labour’s view and policies for the postwar period. But at present this has not happened, and although Mr. Morrison has made several important speeches it is not clear whether he speaks lor the party as a Whole. Mr. Morrison himself recently warned the Labour Party that the British electorate “would not be disposed to give its trust to a party that did not know its own miqd.” He was referring to various Parliamentary divisions in which Labour was deeply divided in the lobbies. He added that splits in the Labour Party threatened to become more than occasional, and that worse still the Labour front bench itself had been splitting. The Economist, commenting that while it was too early to guess the electorate's verdict, says: “The Conservatives will have the enormous • prestige of Mr. Churchill's name still further enhanced when victory is attained. But the tide of popular thought and desire would seem to be running very strongly against the Conservatives (insofar as it can distinguish from the person of Mr. Churchill) but the present anti-Con-servative trend is not visibly complemented by a pro-Labour trend. The issue is likely to be decided by a mixture of what the Government does and what the Labour leaders say. If Mr. Churchill is in earnest about 'food, homes and work for all,’ and if Labour supporters continue to devote more energy and internal responsibilities to the community, there will be a Conservative triumph at the polls.” Whether wartime controls shall be continued after the war, and for how long, is another subject which is expected to produce a big political battle, the opening shots of which have already been fired.