The Dominion. FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 1910. THE BRITISH POLITICAL CRISIS

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 727, 28 January 1910, Page 6

The Dominion. FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 1910. THE BRITISH POLITICAL CRISIS

/// /./ /♦"/ '/ V ■ Already, even 'before the mere business of electing the new Parrliament is completed, • a serious ; political crisis /is taking/ shape in Britain. That is the only . .conclusion that can ■bo drawn from ■ the comments which Vthb' 1 Nationalists': capture' of the-balance' of power has called forth; from '.the leading' London journals.; Most of those people at this end of the world who, have Keen ..sympathising with. the- British Government- must have experienced something of a shock'on Wednesday when they, found, that the lVcstmins : ter Gazette-, perhaps the' leading' Liboral newspaper in Britain, had entirely changed its tone, and had suddenly become as much impressed by the virtues''of, compromise, on the question of the Lords as it had been by the necessity for the "smashing", policy of V, Messrs: Churchill- and Lloyd-George.. "The, people," said /tbe/.ffai?eMe ) '.'"are.Iri3ady..;for'1ri3ady..;for' a states- : manlike reconstruction of tho. Second Chamber so:as to bring it in harmony ..with representative institutions, but they : are .opposed to a single: Chamber.-The reconstruction 0 f the: Constitution .is essentially a task calling for the co-operation •of . the. Moderates of both / parties. /, Many Unionists are pledged to modification of the hereditary basis of the Houso of Lords,- and the Unionist party will, gain if they acknowledge that their' opponents - have a real grievance, against .the Lords.". An answering note, we learned /yesterday, \camo very promptly from the Times,', which, aftor pointing' out that the Government "is in no position to. carry a great; constitutional change by. main force," declared 'that "tho Unionists ;aro. ready for reasonable reform of the House of Lords if it is effected by their consent. . It is not, beyond the wit of manj " the Times continued, "to devise legisla--tiori/which will secure to the House of Commons full power over finance, but which will exclude the possilaility of .'tacking'." ,It" is, the. bogey of ..Nationalist/domihatibn:'that has*, suddenly.;cooled the ardour of .these fierce,' opponents, for dependence upon Mr. Redmond's nod is not a more pleasant prospect/to the Gov-, ernment/ than, the risk of a Home Rule .Bill can be to the Unionists. Whatever. Mr. Asquith may say' in repudiation of .the claim that he pledged his Government to Home Rule in the Albert: Hall- speech, neither, the; Unionists nor the' Nationalists can give him absolution, fear on the ono hand, and hope on the; ■■: other/ being strong . defences against', any attempt by . the Prime. Minister to escape. Four days after ttie speech, the National Directory of . the United Irish League, at a meeting presided 'over by Mn. Redmond carried tho following resolution : ._ "That we have read with great satisfaction the statement made by the Prime Minister on. Friday last, that full selfgovernment. for Ireland ill all Irish affairs .is/the;policy of: the - Liberal party, and. .that the Liberal ■ party claims a mandate from the electorate todeal with Irish questions on these lines as soon as the veto oi' the Lords is cleared -out of , the road; we observe with ■ great pleasure" that. this declaration of the Prime' Minister hoi been'- universally denounced by: tho Unionist; press . of England as a revival, ofHome ; Rule in. its worst form, and a return to tho position of Mr./ Gladstone;' and, in view of these .faots, we'most heartily advise the United Irish Leigue of Great Britain: to use the Irish voto to support the Liberal and Labour parties, so as most-effectually to contribute to the defeat of'the House of Lords; and the Anti-Irish -party in .the coming general election." ' Everywhere -is was understood that Home' Rule had been': definitely promised. / The/Government has counted upon obtaining the Nationalists' ' support in the attack on the Peers, and; has hoped that Mr. Redmond will not then ask for Home- Rule fore giving his aid to-the new Budget.:, It begins, to appear that, the Liberal plan is crumbling away. The Westminster Gazette is preparing the,way for an abandonment of the bold,; policy of "smashing" the veto.:, The .'Nationalists', will shortly be realising that they cannot hope to obtain' a . fulfilment of Mr. Abquith's pledge.: Those who know best';the chances of success for an advanced Irish policy, like Lord DuipAVEN, are convinced that in the welter of the Government's obligations to the various sections of its miscellaneous following in the country the Nationalists will have but little chance of receiving anything at all. A crisis is certain within a very short, time'/ of . the meeting of the. new ■ Parliament,' and although it will probably return with a tiny majority over tho Unionists,., the Government will find it difficult to negotiate even' the first obstacle, the question of tho Peers. The ' fall will come, most/prbbably," from a Nationalist insurrection.; When a party that has been shouting ; without .restraint ■ or qualification for the blood and bones of the enemy suddenly abates its tome and offers to-be content with:a friendly argument, it is not unreasonable to suppose that it is apprchonsivo of disaster.