THE BRITISH ELECTIONS

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 89, 17 May 1929, Page 6

THE BRITISH ELECTIONS

We lean to the view that Mr JBaldwin's published forecast of the reslilt of the Brifeish elections will prove not far wide of the mark wheii the polling is made known. He believes the Governmcnt partv will emerge victoriously from Ihe campaign. Of course this is not the time for over-con-fidenoe in any direction. For the first timo in history the numerical preponderance of women over men will be reflected at the polls. This preponderance is very large, only expressible in scven figures. But there is somefching else to be said about it. It represents three parties, the Government and the Liberals and the more or less "Bed" elements. If tbe new acoretion of women voters is to be regarded as divided on lines practically similar to those distinguishing the rest of the eleetorat-e there will be no startling change-over of parties, but merely a bigger total of votes cast. s Mr Lloyd George professes faith in a Liberal renaissance, and justifies this by pointing to his sclieme for rere oving unemployment "at a stroke." As to this, remembering that tbe scbeme, in so far as be has condescen-ded to explain it, is based upon increased taxation, heed must be paid to Mr Baldwin's criticism of the Georgean proposal. He criticises courageously and, as- most people will think, wisely. As he puts it — "Prosperity must be founded on work, not on stiniulants. Put taxation first and production afterwards and you might as well put up the shutters." We have no doubt Mr Lloyd George fully recognises this, but be has his special row to hoe. This is to cut inf;o the "Beds." If Liberalism, more truly "Lloyd-Georg-ism," is to emerge from tbe polls a substantially stronger party tban it now is, ifcs main gains must be from the extreme left, from the MacDonald side. The leader of the so-called Labour Party apparcntlv recognises this, for be- has made lia^te to identifv himself with tbe Lloyd George scbeme of running publie works paid for out of increased taxation, and generallv bebaves in regard to it as though he and not klr George were its author. When Mr George makes hnste to attack the Government 's criticism of his sclieme Mr MaaDonald runs neck and neck with him in promulgating a similor attack. This is a tolerablv

outspoken eonfession that Mr MacDonald regards the Georgean sclieme as a good vote-catcher, and desires .to create the impression tbat in some way he is identified with it. A curious clasb of opinion already provided by the opening features of the campaign makes it clear that the George and MacDonald parties both hope to win votes in connection with the unemployment problem. Largely as a result of tbe efforts of tbe Prince of Wales, efforts which extorted from Mr Cook — the evil genius of tbe disastrous coal strike of 1926 — unequalled praise, and for him the bitter hatred of Bed colleagues who considered tbemselves "betrayed" by his eulogies, millions have been contributed, to ameliorate tbe suffering caused by tbat strike. Miss Megan George, posing as broadcasting a-lly of ker father in his campaign, seems to take the side of those attacking klr Cook for praising the efforts of the Prince of Wales and the libcralitv of those 'he appealed to on bcbalf of tlie distressed raining districts. "Instend of sending round the hat," she says, "to collect for distress, let us use the brains under that hat as providing real solution." As it was not her father's hat which was sent round, she is of course commending the brains under tliat haj; as providing the remedy- which will render it unnecessarv to "send round the hat," which is of course filial, if ungracious to the man who did send round tho liat with sucb great results. Admitting the difficulty of trying . to forecast the result of "the new •electoral conditions, we yet think that within limits this may he done. It seems probable that when the numbers are up ihe Government party will emerge somewhat weaker tliau before, but still the strongest party in tlie Tlouse. A more diffieult problem is whetker tlie MacDonald Party will he more successful than that of Mr Lloyd George. With some hesitation we lean to the i view that the Liberals will regisi ter the greater improvement iil their numbers. We do this be- : cause we think the antics of- the Cnmmunists in Germanv, and the "anti-God" eampaigns of the Beds in Bussia, will tend to prejudiciallv affoct the prospects of the Beds in Britain.