A SURPRISING CONJUNCTION.

Press, Volume XLIX, Issue 14835, 28 November 1913, Page 6

A SURPRISING CONJUNCTION.

Wβ ore not surprised that some comment has been excited by the fact that Mr Austen Chamberlain accompanied Mr Winston Churchill to Devonport in tho Admiralty yacht Enchantress, and that Mrs Austen Chamberlain performed tho ceremony of christening the latest and most formidable addition to the British Navy, H.M.S. Warspite. Notwithstanding the keenness of party feeling in England, it is still possible, fortunately, for men on opposite sides of the House to maintain pleasant social relations in their private intercourse. It is, however, unusual for a member of the Cabinet to be associated with an equally eminent member of the Opposition in a public function of the kind under notice. What has given added significance to the incident, no doubt, is the impression which has been prevalent in well-informed circles in England for some time that the present Government is not a happy family, and that there is a possibility of an important rearrangement of parties after the general election. Apart from the great outstanding question of Home Rule for Ireland, there is no doubt that the Marconi. revelations put a severe strain on the loyalty of some members of the Cabinet. Our readers will remember that Mr Winston Churchill went before the Committee, and in his heated and indignant denial that ho had himself engaged in. any speculations of the kind referred to, used language which infere»tially condemned his colleagues, who had indulged in dubious Stock Exchange transactions, much more severely than any employed by the Opposition. The very serious crisis which has arisen in Ireland has obviously caused Mr Winston Churchill, among others, "furiously to "think." There is a firm conviction in England among those best qualified to judge that the Government will be beaten at the next general election, or at any rate reduced to a state of Parliamentary impotence. On the other hand, in spite of Mr Bonar law's many good points, it is notorious thai the Unionist Party feels tho want, of a really strong leader, and that" the Party itself is by no means thoroughly united. It will be remembered that on the resignation of Mr Balfour, there was a fight for the leadership between Mr Austen Chamberlain and Mr Walter Long, and the forces being equally divided, Mr Bonar Law's election was in the naturo of a compromise. On the other hand Mr Winston Churchill is a very able man, whose ambition is probably the dominant quality in his character, and who would not willingly, sink into obscurity. There is another important factor in the situation to be boxne in mind. Between Mr Winston Churchill and Mr Lloyd George there is no love lost. When Mr.Asquith retires—an event which may happen any day—Mr Lloyd George hopes to be leader of the Liberal Party, and it is certain that he would have a very strong following. It is inconceivable that in that event Mr Winston Churchill would consent to sorvo under him. Taking all these factors into consideration, it is not difficult to understand that many people see in I tho Churchill-Chamberlain incident an augury or indication of a closer political association in the future. Mr Churchill has already changed sides once—having originally come out.as a Unionist- —and it is not at all impossible that we may yet see him return once more to the fold.