Controlling the Labour Party
An issue of capital importance was raised- on Tuesday by Mr. W. H. Hutchinson, President of the Amalgamated Engineering 'Union, when he declared there was only one answer to the question, Who shall control the Labour Party ?—" The trade unions must be in control." Mr. Hutchinson is a man of considerable influence on both the political and the industrial side of the Labour movement, and what he says is not to be disregarded. But the domination of the Labour Party by the trade unions would have kept hundreds of thousands of potential supporters away from it even without the demonstration of its dangers at the time of the General Strike of 1926. No political party controlled from outside by some special interest can be free from constant suspicion, and since the trade unions largely supply the funds for fighting elections, the domination in this ease is very real. Capitalist interests are amply represented in the Molise of 'Conn-nous, but they do not control any party. And party funds, once subscribed, carry to control with them. But the trade Unions are demanding control open and undisguised. With a Labour Govern- ment in office that would mean logically control of the Cabblet and of national policy.
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