POLITICAL MOVES

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 9, 2 September 1931, Page 2

POLITICAL MOVES

Although a great deal has been said from both sides of the House regarding the self-sacrificing motives which have prompted both the Government and the Opposition to emulate the lion and the lamb and lie down together pro tem, while they collaborate for the good of the country, the great body of electors, we think, can hardly be satisfied with the generalisations and platitudes which have so far emanated from the mouthpieces of the various parties. Credit must be giVen to the Pxime Minister for courage in bringing f orward his original fusion proposal but no intelligent political obsorver could be blind to the fact that however courageous the gesture, it was at the same time, a very shrewdly calculated political move. It served at once, two purposes: Its rejection placed a weapon for the fiaggelation of the opposition in the hands of a party which badly required some" means of taking the oifensive, and its acceptance involved the partial salvation at least, of a tottering cause. We do not do Mr. Forbes's intelligence the injustice to suppose that, however courageous and sincere his motives, he was blind to the advantages to be derived from this stroke of clever political strategy. The rejection of the proposal, of course, was never for a moment in doubt. It is more than rumour that certain members of the Reform party regarded fusion of the parties as a definite c&ncellation of hopes' which they had been cherishing in regard to the dstribution of portfolios, when, as they felt sure it must, Reform came into its own again. In a way these gentlemen could be pardoned for the almost proprieteory interest they took in these portfolios — thirteen years of Reform Government had almost made them party inheritanees — and rather than sacrifice what they considered possibly to be their political future, they threw their by no means inconsiderable weight into the scales against fusion. In this way, political strategy was met by motives equally political, but Mr. Coates and his party found themselves, as a result, in a political corner. An influential section of the general electorate had already made strong representations in favour of fusion, holding that it presented the only chance of a stable Government in time of stress and a bulwark against the encroaching tide of Labour. By rejecting fusion, Mr. Coates had given his political opponents a weapon ready fashioned to their hands when the first shots were tired from the hustings. In a time of crisis he had placed party before country — that was the inevitable election propaganda that he had been compelled to supply to his opponent^. Mr. Coates has never been remarkable as a lightning political thinker, but even so it was a trifle surprising that the counter move which lay ready to his hand took so long to materialise. It came, however, and- now the Leader of the Opposition has given check. He has offered, quite as magnamimously as Mr. Forbes, and with the same commendable motive of national interest for a truce in political hostilities. Here is obviously the solution of Reform's difficulty. A sustained truce between the three parties obviously is a proposal unpalatable and in fact unacceptable to Labour. That is a fact which we must give Mr. Coate's intelligence every credit for appreciating, and it now • only remains for the final move in the game, to be made. If Labour rejects a number of the majority proposals of the the inter-party committee as it will unquestionably do, then both Reform and United have the same weapon for'qse against their mutual opponent. The onus of rejecting a political armistice, can then be conveniently* thrown upon Mr. Holland and his party, while Mr. Coates has convincingly demonstrated that his enthusiasm for the country's interest in time of crisis is quite as sincere and as courageous as that of Mr. Forbes. In this game of political nine-pins it is for Mr. Jlolland to make the next throw, and maintain the high standard which has been set by his opponents, N