Oct, 29.
is G00tee Bernard Shaw makes Frenchman in "Fanny's t Play" remark that he finds British "domestic interiors" so interesting. The comment at once recurs to the mind on studying the remarkable results of the elections in Great Britain, as so far announced. At the time of writing 263°: embers have been returned to support the National Government against 23 on the other side, At this rate it looks as if the most oxpectant of calculations in favour of the Government will he hopelessly outstripped. The intelli-by gent foreigner might well declare that his bewilderment is exeusable when the home-grown, critics have been given such a surprise. He would point to the fact that Sir Bertram Falle, who was. compelled to cancel all his meetings at North Portsmouth ecause of the triumph of rowd-ism, is returned at the head of poll with a crushing majority in a naval constituency over a Labour Admiral of some notoriety. He might go on tu urge that the smashing victory of Mr.
LIH. Thomas at Derby accords ill with the failure of that courtageous Minister to secure a hearing at more than one important meeting in his constituency. Then he would wonder over the spectacle of Sir Oswald Mosley, well furnished with a prize-fighting bodyguard and selecting what might be considered to be a safe scat, utterly defeated at Stoke-on-Trent. Dundee, which some years ago took to its bosom that independent and lovable prohibition Br. Serymgeour, has deserted him in this critical hour and hi Labour colleague as well, by re~ ing with emphasis a Nation-and a woman Con-Dundee, with—its curious electoral waywardness, has however the distinction of giving its communist candidate a better run for his money than any other constituency whose verdict has yet been "revealed. The heavy polls and the. stern demeanour of the electors chow clearly that the crisis has succeeded in doing what the flaming eloquence of posters, orators and tub-thumpers has: in the past failed to achieve. The electorate has bestirred itself, it has not worried about the campaigning; it has weighed up the issues and—it has plainly asserted that it does not want a Labour Government or.anything approaching it in complexion. There has been a posi tive slaughter of Labour ex Ministers. Only Sir Stafford Cripps—by the skin of his teeth—and honest Mr. George Lansbury have managed to survive: Casualties include Miss Mar-garer Bondfeld—whieh many Will regret for her heart was not in the desertion of Mr. Mac-Donald—Mr. Arthur Henderson, Mr. J, R. Clynes, Mr. Tom Shaw, Mr. A. V. Alexander, Mr. Her-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.