Evening star., 1924-03-23
National Interest Guides Macdonald:
Rule Might Be That of the Tories

to be an influx of the more moderate but pro-
gressive members of the liberal party, and the
result will be gain, not loss of strength.
What has really happened, I believe, is that
new party has replaced an old, the liberal
party has lived, it will break up because
it has served it's purposes. One fraction will go
to labor, another to the tories. Labor will be-
come the second party. Moreover. result
of having to face a new and energetic labor
party, instead of an apathetic and decaying
liberal opposition, the tory party on its side
will be put to 1t to develop new strength and
fresh leadership.
But you must that this really far-reach-
ing change in personnel does not carry with
it any change in policies. We elect our candi-
dates and parties on issues. The Englishman
does not do this. On the whole he chooses
by personalities and by parties. He expects
labor foreign minister to defend the vital in
terests of the country abroad precisely he
expects tory minister to defend them. He
poets ]. II. Thomas, labor leader, to maintain
the imperial structure of the great edifce
actly would the Duke of Devonshire.
In the actual application of government, in
the process Of administration, there Is only
kind of policy, and that is British The tory
party at the last election tried to introduce
difference in policy, by championing protection,
and not only was it beaten, but the effort to
establish a divergent policy was utterly dis
credited. Labor might easily come to the
end if it tried to introduce such another diver
gent policy capital levy.
All Parties Must Back Changes.
Changes in British policies are rarely made
by parties, but come when all parties have
equally agreed on the necessity of change.
Labor is essentially pacifist party, while the
tories frankly champions of vigorous
tional defense programs strong navy,
Quate army, sufficient air craft. So much for
platform pronouncement, but when labor
comes to power II adopts the naval program
of the tories and the tories support it against
to.ly oir 10 Itch,
10 seek tactical advantage by trying TO convict
the laborites of Inconsistency in performance.
As think l have said here before, the real
meaning of the labor arrival is the broadening
OF the base of British democracy. Labor had
reached the point where it ripe for actual
participation in power, to deny it power would
have been weaken the whole structure of
British democracy; the solution was not
preston, it responsibility-therefore labor
was made responsible and becoming RESPONSE
bic it proceeded to do what all of it's predeces-
had done, it could do nothing else and
one expected it to do anything else
The main stumbling block to foreign under
standing OF British character lies right here.
it is found in the assumption that liberal,
labor, tory government, any government, will
in the last analysis do anything but what
ttonal interest, tradition, instinct demand.
be- That what wholly deceived the Germans
the of the world Napoleon made
the mistake in his day. You do not
rectly forecast later British policy by the
campaign utterances or programs of the sew
eral parties.
Englishmen well of this, it is
tradition of their policies, hence their
prise at the suggestion that there is hypocrisy
or perfdy in the ultimate course of ministry
or minister who departs from his pre-elec-
tion utterances and adheres to the pathway of
his predecessors. They know that in the end
the same state of national interests, safety, in
stnct will control every prime minister and
every party cabinet.
May Last Fifteen Months.
Now in the present the existing labor
government may very well last fifteen months,
that is the ordinary prediction now, made to
me by many and most authortatively by j. H.
Thomas, minister of the colonies, who added
the precautionary, with a little bit of luck"
When it falls, not on any snap majority, but
as q result of vote of censure, there will be
election.
Not only does no party now desire cleo
tion, since the country would be bitterly op-
posed, but when the election does come inevi-