Foreign News: There’ll Always Be a Churchill

When Great Britain went to war her political parties made peace. They agreed that for the duration vacated parliamentary seats would not be contested, Conservatives being succeeded by Conservatives, Laborites by Laborites. The political truce was designed to put an end to party politics in wartime. Last week it put a Churchill in Parliament: Randolph, 29-year-old son of Winston.

Flamboyant, cheeky Son Churchill, an ex-Hearst newsman, now a subaltern with a mechanized unit, had tried three times previously to become an M. P., but the Baldwin-Chamberlain clique, seeing him merely as an uncut, minor edition of Father Churchill, firmly snuffed each attempt. With the “official Conservatives” and competition both out, and his father in at No. 10 Downing Street, it was easy. Adrian Charles Moreing, M. P. for the Lancashire cotton-weaving town of Preston, died and Randolph popped up as unopposed candidate in the by-election, was duly elected.

“Family politics*,” growled Conservatives of the old school.

He could imagine no more attractive a future for a young Briton than to serve the good people of Preston, gushed Son Churchill.

* Largest family stake in the British Parliament is held by the Lloyd Georges. David Lloyd George, son Gwilym and daughter Megan are all M. P.s.