The decision of the Nottingham and Notts Liberal Unionist Association
last Saturday to ally itself with the reconstituted Liberal Unionist Council has led to the resignation of Lord Belper, the president ; Sir Charles Seely, vice-president; and Mr. C. H. Seely, M.P. It is hardly necessary to say that the action of the seceding members meets with our entire approval. As convinced Free-traders, they naturally object to the conversion of the Association, which was primarily formed to oppose Home-rule, into an organisation to further Mr. Chamberlain's policy. In this context we may note that Mr. H. D. Greene, K.C., the Conservative Mem- ber for Shrewsbury, has resolved not to seek re-election. As a convinced opponent of Protection, he " would not care to sit in the next Parliament without being accorded, in case of need, greater independence of official party action than he is disposed to ask his constituency to give him." He wants to see " the establishment, or rather the revival, of a powerful Progressive Conservative party, resolutely deter- mined to resist the introduction of Protection," and regards "the presence in the Ministry of avowed Tariff Reformers as a source of weakness to the Conservative party, and of danger to the position of Mr. Balfour, as its leader."
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