POST-WAR PARTIES
IR,—While it is platitudinous to say that party politics are out of lace at the present moment, it is vital that we should remember that ey are the basis of democracy. To have a genuine election the ton must have, not only a choice of candidate, but also a choice of Icy. For some years immediately preceding the war we have had Powerful so-called "national" Government opposed by a small fiat minority. We have had dinned into our ears by Govern- ent spokesmen that party politics was a thing of the past; it was edited, they said, and we had groWn out of it! But such talk mere propaganda organised by the party in power to stifle opposition making it look wicked. What was the choice at a general election g the rule of the self-styled "national" Government? There s, broadly speaking, no choice at all. Either one had to vote to the ever-growing power of the financial and industrial corn- or one gave one's support to the over-bearing tyranny of trade onists and bureaucrats. This merely resulted in class warfare ; the cb. and their followers voting for the status quo and the poor and or sympathisers voting in opposition. It was not a matter for ught and discretion; the accident of birth or fortune decided the tenon of the vote.
If We are to practise democracy after having fought the bloodiest all wars in its defence we must surely raise it from this vortex of ative tyrannies to a level on which the thinking man can exer- se his freedom and judgement. This can only be brought about by erdol. g a real alternative. There are those who, like the " bloated " Mint. and his counterpart the "red-hot" socialist, feel that order the primary objective of all human society, no matter who or what
suffers in its attainment. There are many who prize the liberty of the individual above every other consideration. If a truly Liberal party could be formed under intelligent and energetic leadership would it not provide a real alternative political ideal and thus put democracy on its feet again? It is not the time now to suggest planks for party programmes, but it becomes increasingly obvious as the war proceeds that some movement for-individual liberty will be absolutely necessary when we have finished the job in hand. Should such a move- ment not develop there is a grave danger of the human race becoming a mere collection of economic units and mechanical automata—Yours
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