The North Lambeth By-Election The North Lambeth by-election is an
event on which the Labour Party have reason to congratulate themselves. It was generally expected that their representative, Mr. Strauss, would. get in, for the strength of the Liberal position had rested mainly on the personality of the late Mr. Briant. But the size of Mr. Strauss's majority was remarkable. On a much smaller poll he secured about the same number of votes as in 1929—a year of triumph for Socialism—his Liberal opponent being beaten by more than 6,000 votes. But the most significant fact of the election was the position of the National Labour candidate. The votes in his favour were fewer than those given to the Conservative in 1929---and they were no doubt mainly the same. He roped in, in fact, all the Conservative votes that can be collected in this con- stituency, and probably none besides. The National Labour Party, so far as the electorate is concerned, simply does not exist. Mr. Ramsay MacDonald and his Labour associates can contribute their own personalities to the National Government, but they cannot claim to have any separate party following of their own which gives them votes because they are Labour " as well as " National."
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