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"Mr. MacDonald is quite sensible that the dissolution which he has obtained is sure to be highly unpopular. He did not court it, he did not want it. . . .
"But he forgets that up to the very latest moment before the division he had in his own hands the power to avert the necessity of an election at all. Mr. Asquith almost invited him to make understood that if only the Prime (Minister would consent to an impartial investigation of any kind, as members of his own party and, it is understood, colleagues in his Cabinet desired him to do, the Liberals would have smoothed his path.
"But Mr. MacDonald was adamant. He would not hold out the least hope of an examination into circumstances which, in the face of that, would throw an imputation of the gravest character upon his Administration. He has assigned no tenable or plausible grounds for this attitude."
Cabinet. Until the sixth Parliament of King George is opened next January, the Cabinet of Mr. Ramsay MacDonald will continue to govern the country. If Labor wins the election, which is hardly likely, the Cabinet will probably carry on. If the Labor Party is defeated, the Cabinet can do two things: 1) stay in power and meet its fate in the new Parliament upon a vote of no confidence; 2) resign at any time after the elections.
Campaign. The campaign, which promised to be bitter, started within 24 hours after the proclamation of dissolution had been promulgated. What were the issues upon which the three Great Parties were to base their campaigns? Broadly summarized: Socialism.
The general feeling in Britain is that the Labor Government had set a proud record in foreign politics with the single exception of the Anglo-Russian treaty. In domestic affairs, it had failed utterly to carry out its last election promise to alleviate unemployment. Hence, with no basis for attack on foreign policy, the election campaign promised to be fought over purely social issues.
Labor. The Labor Party, led by MacDonald, Snowden, Thomas, Wheatley, Clynes, etc., goes to the country on its nine months' record in office plus a program of which the following are the chief points:
1) Bulk purchase and distribution at standard prices by the Government of principal commodities
2) Nationalization of the mines
3) Nationalization of power production
4) Continuance of the tax on land values
5) Acceleration of public works to provide employment
Liberal. The Liberal Party, whose leaders are Asquith, Lloyd George, Masterman and Sir John Simon, stress the risk which the taxpayers might be subjected to by the imprudence of the Labor Government's proposal to guarantee Russia a loan.
The main planks in the Liberal platform embrace temperance reform, industrial peace and questions dealing with education, housing and unemployment. Free trade is mentioned to remind the electorate that the last election was fought over a protective issue. Great stress is placed on Lloyd George's "coal scheme":
"The Liberal policy is to make coal the great national asset by empowering the State to acquire all mineral rights and to provide State assistance and direction in the building of super-power stations.