BRITISH POLITICS.

Taranaki Daily News, 7 January 1920, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

IS LABOR'S DAY COMING I LARGE'INCREASE IN VOTE. By Telegraph.—Press Assn.—Copyright. London, Jan. S. The Spen Valley result, coupled with the fact that at the last nine bye-elec-tions the Labor vote has increased from 38,722 to 97,473, whereas the Coalition vote has fallen from 80,477 to 70,090, raises the question in several newspapers whether Labor is ready to assume the responsibility of government. Mr. Winston Churchill, in a speech at Sunderland, said that the party was now in a period of development, when it was quite unfitted for the task and would come hopelessly to grief. Several prominent Labor leaders recently admitted that the party is not yet ready for the Treasury benches and does not desire office following the next election. Moderate men in the party think a preliminary period in strong opposition would better fit them for power. The general result of the bye-elections seems to be a weakening of the Liberal party as a political force, coupled with eventual coalescing of the present Coalition into a Centre party, attracting all shades of political thought except Labor, and perhaps extreme Tory, which might form a party of the Right under Lord Robert Cecil.—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.