Election Campaign

Parliament was opened and during its three-day session nothing of importance occurred, except the defeat of a vote of censure on the Government's domestic policy, moved by Ramsey MacDonald, the Laborite Leader of the Opposition, by 285 to 190 votes. Subsequently Mr. Lloyd George condemned the proposed dissolution as " ill-considered, precipitate, foolish." " Can lobsters, crayfish and crabs," he demanded in referring to the results of the Imperial Conference (TIME, Nov. 19), "bind the Empire by trade? It is a tinker's policy. The Government is going to the country with a tin can tied to its tail."

On Nov. 16 the King dissolved Parliament; in a speech delivered in the House of Lords he laid stress on the anxiety in Britain over the continental situation.

Liberal Party. A major move of the utmost importance occurred when Messrs. Lloyd George and Asquith decided to bury their hatchets and unite the Liberal Party under Mr. Asquith. Sir Alfred Mond and Sir John Simon were credited with having engineered the meeting of the two ex-Premiers which resulted in the fusion. It was regarded as certain that, should the Liberals win the general election in December, Mr. George would assume the Premiership while Mr. Asquith retained the leadership of the Party, thus giving the two control. Another report stated that Mr. Asquith will either become Premier for a short time and resign, or get elevated to the House of Lords and retain the Premiership there. At any rate Mr. George is to have as much say in the Party as Mr. Asquith.

Later the Liberal Party's platform was issued, signed by Mr. Asquith and Mr. George. This manifesto was predominately denunciatory. It damned the French occupation of the Ruhr, the Baldwin Government for its weak handling of the Ruhr, the U. S. cooperation offer, the "Shameless Treaty of Lausanne "-- in fact the " moral indecision" and " diplomatic incompetence" displayed by the Government in every question of foreign policy.

On the constructive side the Party advocated reopening full relations with Russia; free trade; credit on enterprise, such as development of internal transport by road and water, to cure unemployment; afforestation; reclamation and drainage of land; development of Imperial resources; railway building in the overseas nations; emigration; cheapening of inter-Imperial transit; remodeling of the Insurance (TIME, Nov. 19) and Poor Relief Acts; promotion or cooperation between Capital and Labor; Government assistance to farmers.

Conservative Party. Premier Baldwin in outlining his Party program in an election address to his Bewly constituents made the most definite statement of his protectionist policy that he has so far uttered. He said he had come to the people to ask for relief from the late Premier Bonar Law's pledge*, because "no Government with any sense of responsibility could continue to sit with its head in its hands watching the unequal struggle of our industry or content itself with palliatives." He then explained the effect of his protectionist policy, which is a discriminatory tariff upon imports in favor of the British overseas nations.

Labor Party. The Laborites were less active than the other parties in the past week's news. The Party did, however, publish its platform:

First, Capital Levy, the main plank in the platform, has been weakened to "the Debt Redemption Levy" to be applied "in consultation with the Treasury experts"; otherwise it is the same.

Second, it was stated that tariffs are not a remedy for unemployment, that they "foster the spirit of profiteering materialism and selfishness in the personal life of the nation, lead to corruption in politics, promote trusts and monopolies and impoverish the people."

Third, the Party declared that it was true to its old promise to restore "to the people their lost rights in the land, including minerals." It would apply in a practical spirit the principle of public ownership and control to mines, railway services and electrical power stations and development of municipal services.

* To refrain from making changes in the fiscal system (TIME, Nov. 19).