political campaigning, since open it gatherings are impossible, but everybody is getting ready for the election, The Labour Party still professes very' great confidence, though they are basing it. greatly on Liberal intervention in a large number of constituencies, where the appearance of a third candidate will Just_mean the defeat of the anti-Socialist candidate. On the other hand, much depends upon the Budget, though it should not be forgotten that the present Mini try has a particularly bad Press. Practically all the popular journals oppose it, including the "Daily Mail" and "Daily Express." Lord Rothermere now designates himself Liberal.
The Ministry made a bad mis-tuke this week over the South ern Irish loyalists. These people, Who suffered during the Irish rebellion, "ive always thought that the. British Government has not treated them sufficiently generously. We wre bound to recompense them under the Treaty. Dissatisfied with their treatment, they induced a. large number of Conservatives to champion their cause in the House andthe Government would have een defeated on a vote had not Mr, Baldwin thrown over both the Colonial Secretary and the El cellor of the Excheque=, very much to the latter's annoyance. Now we probably shall have to find some more money, which cuts across the popular Budget which Mr. Churchill is supposed to be preparing.
It is really remarkable how everybody in Ireland seems to look to us for money and to ignore the own Government. The Sinn Fein Governnient tried to avoid any pay ment under the Wigg-Cochran case, which affected the financial treat ment of transferred British Civil Servants; they are now making Some sort of grudging payment under pressure. The Civil ex-Service men in Ireland are now coming over to Great Britain to suggest that, as they are so badly paid in their own country, they ought to be em. on the ground that merit equal treat iment with our own ex-service men.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.