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British Students Speculate On Fall Parliament Election
By Janet Chartier
Great Britain, like the United States, is experiencing the dilemmas and excitement of an election year.
And Englishmen, like Americans, are making predictions, discussing candidates, and arguing over principles.
England has a multi-party system. The three parties of most importance are the Conservatives or Tories, the Socialists or Labour party, and the Liberals.
IN 1714 THE Conservatives and Whigs crystallized as parties vied for prime minister for the first time. By the 1860's the Whigs had become Liberals. This Liberal party later split into the present-day Liberal and Conservative parties.
Wednesday, Sept. 30, 1964 University Daily Kansan
The Labour party was formed in the 1890's from the Fabian Society, whose members included George Bernard Shaw, playwright, and H.
G. Wells, author of "War Between the Worlds."
The Conservatives have a majority of about a hundred in the present parliament and have been in office for three terms, since 1951. A party has never before controlled Parliament for such a long time.
UNIVERSITY GOOFS—English at KU is a changing language. For instance, on several of the zone signs, the University has changed registered to registared. Maybe this is progress?
Anand Chitnis, graduate student from Birmingham, England, also thinks a conservative win would be dangerous. "The Socialists have put an cohesive front for eighteen months. If they lose again the party may split. A party can take only so many defeats," he said.
"IT WILL BE A great tragedy for Great Britain if the Tories are elected again," said Hugh Taylor, graduate student from Stoke on Trent, England. "This would endanger the two party system. Fewer and fewer socialists will have had any experience in government."
Issues are not so important in the British election as they are in the United States. All parties are striving for the same things, mainly peace and prosperity.
EACH OF THESE parties fights for better housing and education in its own way; however, if the Socialists are elected this year they will not get rid of the "better" schools as they have threatened because Britain is already short of schools. Tavlor said.
He further speculated that housing could be called an issue.
"Britain had the same baby boom as the U.S. We have hundreds of slums dating back to the 19th century and a phenomenal number of houses were knocked down by Hitler," he said.
Taylor described the main issue as the "clash of personalities of the Prime Ministers." The people vote for the party whose leader would be the best Prime Minister.
THE NEXT PRIME Minister will most likely be either Sir Alec Douglas-Home, present Prime Minister and former foreign secretary, or Harold Wilson, leader of the Labour party, holder of three first-class degrees (similar to a Phi Beta Kappa honor), and the youngest member of Parliament in 150 years.
Socialism, conservatism, and liberalism do not mean the same thing in Britain as they do to Americans.
"English socialism is peculiarly English," said Taylor. "It began with a belief in public ownership and a revolt against laissez-faire liberalism. It has been modified to government control of essential things." he said.
He also cited the possibility of an even split of votes between Conservatives and Socialists. Then balance of power would be held by the liberals. The head of the party, with a few more representatives, would be invited by the Queen to form a new government. He would then discuss this with the head of the other large party.
Trevor Waters, graduate student from London, agrees with this. "There is nothing particularly conservative about the Conservative party. The nationalization of industry is not disagreeable to them," he said.
"UNTIL RECENTLY I was fairly certain the Socialists would win. But the Tories had a good summer and they may float back into office," said Taylor.
"Things will go on much as before, whoever wins," Chitnis said.
Waters didn't think this probable. He termed the liberals "unimportant in contemporary British politics." The party has about two million followers and only 7 of 630 seats in the present Parliament.
Absent KU Speaker Wires His Regrets
William Stringfellow who was scheduled to speak at 2 p.m. yesterday in the Big Eight room of the Kansas Union was unable to appear because of illness. His regrets were wired to Father Thomas Woodward, Episcopalian chaplain.
Stringfellow, lawyer, author, and theologian, was to have spoken on "Race and Reconciliation," in conjunction with the Law and Society Institute on "Religion, Education and the Law."
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Nations to Be Compared
Clinton Rossiter, Cornell professor and noted author, will compare the United States when it was a new nation to the new nations of India, Israel, and Indonesia in a speech Friday.
Rossiter will speak at 4:00 in the Big Eight Room of the Kansas Union. His topic is entitled "The United States as a New Nation, 1776-1840—any lessons for India, Israel, or Indonesia?"
The lecture, sponsored by the department of history and political science, is one of several Rossiter will be giving while he is in the Midwest. Saturday he will be the guest speaker at a conference in Topeka.
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