Untitled

Hokitika Guardian, 27 January 1932, Page 4

Commenting on the decision of the British Cabinet that Ministers unable to support the conclusions arrived at by the majority on the matter of jmpor| -duties, will be free to express their views and vote against the Government, the Christchurch “Times” .says it i.s one of the most d a t< ' resit i n ir cop s t i tu t-i on at developments of recent years. The authorities on constitutional government have stressed the necessity for comploite unity in the Cabinet, and there have leen instances in recent years of Ministers resigning because of their inability to accept the decisions of the majority ol their colleagues. A oil - linlly, this very interesting development marks the return to conditions wlii'di prevailed about a century ago. “At 'that time,” states one authority, “it was not uncommon to have matters, sometimes very important ones, treated a.s open questions in Cabinet.” If is on record also, that Ministers spoke and voted against Government measures, and in at. least one instance, colleagues in a Ministry contested the same -seats at a general election. The development of partv polities, however, and the gradual transference of power from the House to the Cabinet has made it essential that- there should be unanimity of

finding, seeing that now there is joint responsibility resting upon all members of the Cabinet. The occasion for departing from this strongly intrenched precedent illustrates the traditional methods of the British to proceed by way of compromise. It has been impossible to obtain unanimity with regard to fiscal policy, but rather than risk weakening the Government, which fortunately is united on many other, and possibly more important issues, it has been decided to grant to the advocates of a protective tariff full liberty of debate and decision when that matter comes before the House. Many important developments of a, constitutional nature have come, not as a result of design, but a,s an expedient in an emergency, and it may be that this precedent will affect the peculiar position of the Cabinet at Home, in tlie direction of giving the individual Minister a degree of latitude that has not been known for many years. It must be regarded as a most interesting experiment made possible only because of the very elastic nature of constitutional government in the Mother Country.