Evening star., 1923-12-30
PARLIAMENT OF BRITAIN
SEES GREAT CHANGES
Three-Party Alignment Has Vital Bear
ing in Shaping National ~
Policies. !.

the existing laws and second. to en-
body In legislative measures the politi-
cal projects Of the party in office. So
long as the commons is willing to vote
money to the government, so long the
government can perform the first of the
duties, even though powerless to change
the law.
When Real Test Comes.
The real test, therefore, may not
come with labor offering an amendment
to the address from the throne, which
will amount to a vote of censure. but
rather at the more important budget
stage, when money has to be voted to
the government. For, the advocates
OF another election at an early date
forget, that the ration Is now diviued
into three approximately equal parties,
and no changes in electoral machinery
and no number of elections will neces-
sarily alter this hard fact. What seems
rather TO be required now Is some sort
OF a government in which the house
Of commons has sufficient confidence TO
trust with money, and which will be
willing to carry out such reforms for
which there is a clear ma jority. Some
OF the first legislation probably de-
manded would, of course, have to deal
with Unemployment; perhaps a repeal OF
all the protectionist measures of the
Baldwin administration would also be
parties That will necessarily lead UP
to the great question of the hour: viii
there be a capital levy?
Policy of the Liberals.
There is a tradition, established def
nitely during the later years of the
nineteenth century, after long period
Of fumbling, of the essential continuity
Of British foreign policy. The facts and
conditions on which this convention IS
based were the vital interests and per-
manent aspirations of Great Britain
scend all distinctions of class and ali
conflicts on domestic fyoncy. The ma
ture of such profound British interests
has been recognized, instinctively or ex-
plicitly, by every British administration
that has conducted the affairs of state
in the course Of many decades through
out the Victorian era. There have
been differences rather of accent and
emphasis. Generally speaking. it may
be said, that liberal governments havs
been less inclined than conservativ"
governments to lay stress on technical
questions of defense and of due prepa-
ration for possible wars. The optimts
tic liberal conception of progress and
the sympathy most strongly expressed
by the liberal party for oppressed ma
tionalIties have led at times to diver
sions and discussions in matters of for
eign policy. These very discussions led
in the end to fundamental agreement
on the main lines between the two
political parties. Whatever the sym
pathies or antipathies of any section
of the British people might be. in what
ever form or direction it's humanitarian
instincts might be expressed. the first
care of every British government in the
changing complexities Of internationa.
affairs was the defense of essential
British interests!
VIII Policies BE Changed:
Now that the British domestic situ-
alton has changed, and the two-party
system has evolved by no obscure
processes into a rivalry of three par
ties, the burning question is: VIII
the vital features of British foreign
policy, clearly established after long
discussion between the two parties
who alternately held power during
the last century, be seriously affected
by the advent of this third, new party.
new, international aims
At the present we have recent eX-
upon. On current affairs, the friend
ly relations between Great Britain
and the United States. and particu-
larly in regard to the European con
servatives, as represente in the gov
ernments of Bonar Law and Baldwin,
is clear enough. "It IS one of en-
phatic disapproval of the occupation
of the Ruhr,' says the London Times,
and Francophile, "com-
bined with a desire to maintain =
far as possible friendly relations with
France"
British Authority Intact.
Whatever criticism may be made
against the apathethic attitude of the
policy since the fall OF
Lloyd Georges coalition government,
1929, British authority seems TO have
been kept intact, as it has won
over to its viewpoint other
meNtion only Italy.
The liberal election manifesto de-
clared: Liberal foreign policy stands
for the prompt settlement of repara-
tions with due consideration for the
position of inter-allied debts and for
an earnest endeavor to cooperate
with the great American common
wealth In bringing peace to the
Mr.. Ramsay Mcdonald has
stated that labor stands for a policy
a strengthened and enlarged league
of nations (to include Germany and
Russia, presumably. and for the i'm
mediate convocation of an interna-
tional conference by the British gov
ernmept. OF course, foreign policy
is a matter not only of general prin-
ciple, but of methsd. Little is known
of the intentions with regard TO
British foreign policy, of the labor
party. For the party is confessedly
socialist, yearning for reapproach-
ment with Moscow and Berlin, and
though in the party there are several
degrees, colors and Interpretations
Of socialism, the underlying concep--
tion of the (now world-wide) Carl
MARKHAM dogma, which includes all
these varieties, is one of class con
fict! Glass war cuts right across all
differences of nationality, and insists
on the international unity and
of one class against all the
and patriotism in the labor
party, which may not readily con
form to the rigid demands of gen.
eral socialistic theory. But the the
ory is there and is formally ac-
cepted.
Coalition Is Unlikely.
The idea of a labor Liberal coalition
appears to be ruled out, at least for
the present. At its conference in
last year the labor party
passed. Win Single uisscnlienl d
against any alliance or
electoral arrangement with any sec
ton of the liberal or conservative
parties" Apart from socialist ethics,
such an alliance would not be
politically profitable. Philip Snowden.
In recent pamphlet, took very
much the same line, when discussing
the circumstances in which a labor
socialist government might come into
power. His conclusion was. that II
would be fatal for a labor govern
ment to be formed In coalition with
liberals, because II would create dis
sension in the party. Because "the
socialists. would incur all the un-