"Goodbye, Popular Front," observed the Daily Herald, with unconcealed satisfaction
in commenting on the result of the Aylesbury by-election. On the whole its gratification is justified, for the idea of a Liberal-Labour electoral alliance has undoubtedly been given a sharp set-back. Labour at Aylesbury was urged not to run a candidate who would only split the Progressive vote, and when it did decide to run one substantial defections from Labour to the Liberal candidate were predicted. In the end the combined Labour and Liberal vote was almost exactly the same as in 1935, being actually 18,417 against 18,338, but the Liberal vote fell by nearly 3,000 and the Labour vote rose by nearly 3,000. In the opinion of one experienced Liberal campaigner the chief effect of urging a coalition between Liberals and Labour is to decide Right-wing Liberals, who dislike Socialism, to vote Con- servative. The way of Liberals is difficult and doubtful, but they hardly look like finding salvation in a partnership de convenance with Labour.
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