The passing of liberalism

Lahore, Thursday, October 16, 1924

IT has for some time been obvious that Liberalism in England is a spent force and that it is dying a slow death. The progress is likely to be materially accelerated by the suicidal action which, inspite of official denial, it now appears certain that the leaders of the party have taken. It was a matter of ordinary commonsense that an understanding with Labour was the one chance of salvation left to the party. Such an understanding had inthe present case been rendered difficult by the fact that it was the action of the Liberal party itself which had precipitated the political crisis resulting in the dissolution of Parliament. But it might, at any rate, have been expected that the party would have carefully avoided the other extreme, and would have given the country no opportunity of thinking that there was more in common between it and the Conservatives than between it and Labour. This is exactly what it has done. Whether there has been a formal pact between the Liberal and the Conservative party is immaterial. The very fact, as a Reuter telegram states, that both parties welcome the local executive’s decision to avoid split voting which would result in the return of Socialists, shows that as against Labour, the two parties are acting in concert. This may and, we believe, will mean no disadvantage to the Conservatives. To the Liberals, however, it will mean nothing short of death.The reason is obvious. The Liberals owe their existence as a distinctive political party solely to the people’s belief that as against the Conservatives they represent the forces of progress.