I (X*CUA j u > A t f SAAMTREK Bladsy 3 x a < - / says Alice Worker: ‘hM about little m l * K PARLIAMENT * * » * * & < While Urgent Economi c, Industrial And Other Problems Were Crying For Attention, Our Legislators Talked CABBAG DEOPLE outside Par­ liament often won­ der what uoes on inside that puzzling place. Kings j One thing they cannot un- the money unless you change 1 derstand is the way in which your ways”. Parliament jumps from one' Of course, the Government subject to another,’without never changes its ways and the any rhyme or reason. Opposition rarely succeeds in blocking a Finance Bill. But the To those who religiously procedure is a valuable aid to follow the press reports of good government. the day-to-day proceedings That is why Parliament talked of Parliament, it seems that of “cabbages and kings" last the House is another “Alice week. m Wonderland”, with the members talking of “shoes HEN came Friday, known as and ships and sealingwax T “Private members’ Day”. and cabbages and kings.” Business begins at 10 a.m. and Motions and Bills by members (as Look at last week distinct from official Government We started off on Monday measures) have priority. Alex Hepple, M.P., who has J E S S E S * V,e W ae e l-> Last Friday the major debate freedom, in this our OPEN was on a Motion proposed by me, FORUM, to express his on behalf of the Labour Party, views on current affairs. K 5 " I , ” ' " that the Government should con­ vene a National Convention, re­ After dinner, and for the next presentative of all sections of the before changing the law in this three days we talked about the community, to discuss the future fashion. Suez affair, the bus boycott the development of South Africa. good name of South Africa Eric Both the Nationalists and the ★ Louw s letters to the , lC United Party turned it down. HIS week, many newspaper tion riots, “apartheid” "kJfrCa~ I’m sorry they did. If we don’t T editors could be seen in ths boeties” “integration”. balanced have round table talks on race lobbies and galleries of Parlia­ payments, state trading cZern relations very soon, there will ment. ment incompetence ferUHse™' be a blow up, which nobody and many other thiiigs “ w ants. Rumour has it that they were To come back to the Wage Bill, down in Cape Town on invitation let me say that it has now been from Sir de Villiers Graaff, fol­ lowing upon their lukewarm com­ p m : was possible because the passed without any concessions to the workers who are to be ments upon his maiden effort as ruled by it. U.P. leader in Parliament. si The Governm ent’s big argu­ Last week, when the Nation­ ment for ParlialSnt® Go.Vern m ent was that the trade unions alists attacked them for tlm amount of £90,000,000 as^n® had rarely, if ever, m ade use of attitude of “their newspapers”, vance on the annual Budget. their rights under the old A ct. not a whisper could be heard It is the usual procedure. The Minister of Labour, Sena from the United Party in de­ tor de Klerk, said that this show, fence of the press. ed that the rights were not im­ Position 6hase ttle °P This week, with the editors ah its comni^? r‘ght to state portant. Now that they have been taken looking on, United Party mem­ of Governmental■&nd criticisms away, perhaps their need will be bers fell over each other to sing istratiom ^ hcy and admin felt. the praises of a “free press”. The loss of these rights is the B y the tim e you read this, Par­ fault of workers themselves. If liam ent w ill have debated the U n­ they had taken more interest in em ploym ent Insurance B ill, of trade union affairs, the Govern­ w hich I shall have som ething t<t ment would have thought twice say next week. 49 fiK.TtU .ty /)fj NEW U.P. LEADER AND OTHER OPPOSITION PARTIES By ALEX. HEPPLE, M.P. j \ f ANY people are asking what effect the liberalism had no chance of succeeding as a change in the U.P. leadership will have wing of the U.P. *>Pon the other patties and groups of the The multi-racial Liberal Party stands Opposition. It is an important question, for a common society in South Africa, with especially to those who have become dis- “equal rights for all civilised men.” In 'eartened over the past four years because contrast, the U.P. proclaims that it stands o' the growing disunity of the anti-Natioua- for White supremacy and the permanent lsj forces. People are anxious to know limitation of non-White political and other '' ,eLier Sir de Villiers Graaff will be able to rights. It considers this policy essential if ^ y these once-united forces in a new effort it is to have any hope of defeating the 0 oust the Government at the next election, Nationalists. Change of leadership cannot j * Obviously much depends upon the atti- reconcile these opposing policies. n 0 * *r de Villiers and the other leaders 1 ■ lle L.P. If they make a real effort to Conservative Party sili"’' °gether all the elements of the Oppo- T| 'IU; Public opinion will be with them. TN spite of the anti-liberal policy of the v . imI il,'ation °f such a favourable climate U.P., the Conservative Party has con­ m-il-i! t/ '’.'"Pel all the minority groups to stantly attacked the U.P. in Parliament, to eir attitude plain; they would have accusing it of being dominated by “liberal to g0 1{°llstrate how far they are prepared elements.” The Conservative Party also in I 95g° Secure maximum Opposition unity came into being shortly after the 1953 elec­ tion. Its leader, Mr. Bailey Bekker, said at the time that he disagreed with the conduct of the party’s affairs. However, when the «( Difference Coloured vote came up for debate in the YJ V-^^ULY it is not a matter of 1953 and 1954 Joint Sittings of Parliament, before ,,01 . jties that is at stake here. But it became apparent that there also existed let us ®°nsi?enng the attitude of the U.P., differences on policy. Then personalities began to play an important part in the This coni tbe rest the Opposition. quarrel between the Bekker group and the Liberal p./!.',Ises. Labour Party, the U.P. and there was much criticism of Mr. Rervative p.,;V .tl<1' Led oral Party, the Con- Party ai)c] ,, Y the S.A. Bond, the Central Strauss. Now that Mr. Strauss has lost the leadership, and now that the U.P. has moved lowers. (Arianf !• Uriedman and his fol- sure and nil ' ^10,n these, there are pres- closer to the Conservative standpoint on the Coloured vote, perhaps the way is open Anti-Republicansarncia ^'Oiips such as the for reconciliation—at least for some Con­ Association and ttn ,-1he Progressive servatives. be points of flip',, dark Sash.) W hat are If that happens the liberal back bench minority parties and h ? bTfltVeen these seven of the U.P. will suffer a major defeat on ^.e ehangeover fl',, P United Party? Will Vlhers Graaff m 1Ir- Strauss to Sir de what is, to them, a m atter of great principle. differences? move or modify th e s e It will also shut the door to Dr. B. Fried­ man, who resigned from the U.P. on this is su e a n d Avho has made it clear that he would return to the party only if they made I ;!" 1'-11 P uny r p A K p f an unequivocal promise to restore the Coloured voters to the common roll. difference w i^ w r Ijiberal Party. Its Federal Party XXHIEN we look at the Federal Party we see that, it has landed itself in a some­ t h e „„ the s«bject j h e f o r u m r „ , what difficult position, because it placed all J JANUARY, 1957. ° a g e 7 A r \ its emphasis upon the republican issue. It a difficult phase, until it can adjust itself campaigned against the U.P. most actively to the restrictions imposed by the Nationa­ in Natal and almost exclusively on the lists. In spite of this, the Labour Party method of lighting republicanism. The continues to command the same support Federal Party insisted upon N atal’s right to from the electorate as it did in the past, hold a separate referendum, to refuse to it has a remarkable record since its incep­ enter a South African republic and to re­ tion of having survived many “splits,” main under the Crown. “breakaways,” resignations, electoral de­ Alter scorning this demand for years, feats and crises. the U.P. has now stolen the Federal’s anti- Since 1943 the Labour Party has co­ republican clothes by deciding to seek legal operated with the U.P. This co-operation opinion on N atal’s claim to a separate refer­ took the form of electoral agreements for endum, which means that the U.P. now the 1943, 1948 and 1953 general elections, supports N atal’s moral right to follow this designed to prevent the Nationalists winning course. If legal opinion is favourable, the seats in three-cornered contests. These U.P. will be committed to the same policy agreements were political realism.