BRITISH POLITICS.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 16729, 12 January 1920, Page 7

BRITISH POLITICS.

—« THE LABOtJK PARTY. (By Cable— Pro«i Association— CopjTirht.) (Austrulinri uni N.Z. Cable A»soci*tioQ*) iHeceivod .January 11th, 0.0 p.m.) I/ON DON*. January S. Arthur Ilondorson, 31.1'., spoakiiicr : ,t Widnes, said Labour was not con tout to rost upon tho rosults alroady achieved, nor was it satisiiod w,t 'J "pivcarious alliance with the old parties. Such an alliance meant a compromise, and Labour principles admitted of no compromise. It was not that tho Labour members were all fully equipped to diseharpo the functions of the Government. The same could be said of other parties. Nevertheless Labour possessed men trained in public affairs who were the intellectual equals of the representatives of tho other parties. i Tho miners' representatives had resolved to take steps to increase the number of miners* candidates at thoi next election. j

[A message from London on January <lth said: The result of tho Spen Valley bv-olection, coupled with tlio fact that at tho last nine by-elcctions tho Labour vote lias increased from 38,7122 to 97,173, whereas tho Coalition volo has fallen from 80.177 to 79,090, raises the question in several newspapers of wh»ther Labour is ready to assume tho responsibility of government. Mr Winston Churehill maintained, in a speech at Sunderland, that the party was now in a period of development when it wafl quito unfitted for the task, and would omio hopelessly to grief. Several prominent Labour leaders recently admitted that the partv was not yet ready for the Treasury benches, and did not desire office following tho next election. Moderate men in the party think that a preliminary peri«l as a strong Opposition would better fit them for power. The general result of tho by-elections seems to indicato a weakening of tho Liberal' Party as a political force, coupled with the eventual coalescing of th« present Coalition into a Centre Party, attracting all shades of political thought except Labour, and, perhaps, extreme Tory, which might form a partv of the Eight under Lord Robert Cccil.l