BRITISH POLITICS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8349, 4 February 1907, Page 5

BRITISH POLITICS.

INDEPENDENT LABOUR PARTY. Received February 4, 4.40 p.m. LONDON, February 3. The Independent Labour Party's Parliamentary levy has been increased to 2d. HOME RULE. Received February 4, 4.40 p.m. LONDON, February 3. Speaking at Waterford Mr John Redmond said: "Nothing but an Irish Parliament with an executive responsible thereto will satisfy us. If the Premier's promise is consistent with this, and leads to Home Rule, we will consider it. If the Bill is calculated to retard ic we will reject it." Mr Redmond proceeded to warn Mr A. Birrell (Chief-Secretary for Ireland), whom he regarded as a friend, not to ask advice from Dublin Castle. He also, in the course of his speech, invited Mr O'Brien to cease his internal wrangling. FISCAL REFORM. Received February 4, 4.45 p.m. LONDON, February 2. Mr A. J. Balfour, in a speech at Hull, said that his fiscal views were unchanged. He was increasingly convinced that Britain greatly suffered through self-imposed trammels and expressed a desire for closer commerical union between the Motherland and the colonies. The party in power were blameable for not saying a single thing publicly to indicate that they sympathised with the means of self-governing colonies, proposed for ensuing the unification and solidification of the Empire. "Fiscal reform is still the main constructive plank of the Unionist policy," said Mr Balfour, "but if we become a party with one idea we will fail to carry that and other reforms."