LABOUR WILL GOVERN

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 70, Issue 117, 2 March 1950, Page 5

LABOUR WILL GOVERN

COMMENT BY MR ATTLEE LEFT - WING IS FORESTALLED (N.Z.P. A.—Copyright) (Rec. 10.10) LONDON, March 1. The Prime Minister, Mr Attlee, told the 315-strong Parliamentary Labour Party to-day: “Labour will govern and will fight the Tories," reports Reuter’s political correspondent. The correspondent adds that. this was interpreted t>y tile meeting as a clear indication thaf the new Labour Government is determined not to abandon party principles to maintain precarious office. It was also thought to forecast another General Election before long. • The Parliamentary Party met to discuss the election: aftermath and to hear the Government’s plan of campaign for the new Parliament. Mr Attlee’s firm line forestalled for the time being, at any rate, any Left-Wing plans to force Cabinet’s hand. Mr Attlee, who had the backing of his new predominantly Right-Wing Cabinet, did not wield the big stick, but put the Governments’ position clearly before the meeting.

Neither Mr Attlee nor Mr Herbert Morfison, the party’s chief strategist, was drawn j into predictions of how long the Government intends to remain in office. Left-Wing elements feel that the Government should make up its mind now to set on immediately with preparations for the next election. They think the longer plans are delayed the greater will be the damage to Labour prestige in the country. Ball Passed to Tories % Government leaders made it clear to the rankers that they cannot confide their parliamentary strategy until they know what the Tories intend to do. Left-Wingers apparently accepted this as reasonable, and held their fire. The result of the meeting passes the ball to the Conservatives. Mr Churchill and his shadow cabinet have, still to discuss final parliamentary tactics. To-day’s Parliamentary Labour meeting was held behind closed doors. One reason for it was to bring home to all Labour members the unavoidable rigors of what is expected to be a remarkable session. They were asked never to endanger the Government’s slender majority. Mr Attlee and Mr Morrison made it abundantly plain that the margin separating Labour and the opposition parties was so narrow that the Government could be brought down and the country plunged into another election if a handful of backbenchers failed to be in the House when a decisive decision was called.

NEW HOUSE ASSEMBLES UNPREDICTABLE WEATHER (Rec. 9.40 a.m.) LONDON, Mar. 1. The House of Commons met this afternoon and, after re-electing Colonel Clifton-Brown Speaker, adjourned. After the Speaker had been installed, Mr Attlee, in a congratulatory speech, said the House was more evenly divided than any House had been in the last 100 years. Mr Attlee said he would not like to speculate on the parliamentary weather to come. He hardly thought it would be set fair, and it might be stormy. Mr Churchill, in adding his congratulations, said: “I agree with the Prime Minister. You cannot predict an indefinite set of fair weather.” There were about 200 new faces in the great assembly of members which gathered for the preliminaries of Britain’s new stalemate'Parliament. Tomorrow and on Friday members will be sworn in, and on March 6 the King will formally open the new Parliament with the Speech from the Throne outlining the Government’s plans.