THE FUTURE OF THE UNIONIST PARTY. [To THE EDITOR OP
THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—A year ago, in your issue of May 24th, 1919, you wrote a meet interesting article on present-day politics, entitled " Political Vampirism : a Study in Three Chapters," which article is before me as I write. As a forecast it would be hard to beat. In it you describe how, early in the war, Mr. Lloyd George discredited the Liberal Party, of which for many years he had been the leading spirit, by contriving to show, from the safety of the Munitions Office, that " the whole responsibility for the lack of preparation fell upon Mr. Asquith and other colleagues," &c. In December, 1916, he said that " he himself must take the helm." Owing to the cowardice of Mr. Bona r- Law, he took it, and "thereby dealt a tremendous blow to his old political associates," and "in the General Election of 1913 he kicked his old Party over the precipice," &c. He then tcok complete command of the Unionist Party, and among other things made it deny "its essential principle, the preservation of the Union . . . as an old-fashioned piece of Toryism." Most of the Unionist organs, headed by the Times, followed suit, honourable exceptions being the Morning Post and the Spectator. You went on prophesy that " if this process is continued, in a year's time Mr. Lloyd George will have sucked the Unionist Party as dry of bkod as he sucked the Liberals." This has been fulfilled.
You then prophesy that he will take up the Labour Party, which no doubt he will. The extraordinary thing, however, is that your two correspondents, under above heading, in your issue of May 15th fail to see it! Thus " Unionist," while point- ing out that no Government "has so abandoned its principles as the present in its pandering for votes "—as if a Coalition ever could have " principles "—goes on to say " it should therefore acquire some backbone before it is too late." Mr. C. Poyntz Sanderson says, " Unless we are careful, we Union- ists will be discredited also." As if that has not already happened. It is incredible, though true, that although the country voted the Unionist Party into power, with a largo majority over all the other parties put together, at the General Election of 1918, showing clearly that it wanted Conservative Government, the Unionist leaders were content to remain in Mr. Lloyd George's pocket, and to deny the essential principle from which the party takes its name. They thereby ruined the party, and if there was a General Election to-morrow on party lines the party which would foot the polls would be the so-called Unionist Party. I am, Sir, &c., J. H. E. Rem, Colonel. 52 Sedlescornbe Road, S., St. Leonards-o7, %.21.
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