Oral Answers to Questions — Palestine. – in the House of Commons at on 22 April 1929.
Colonel Josiah Wedgwood
, Newcastle-under-Lyme
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he has any information to give the House as to the mediation to be exercised by the Vatican between the clericals and the Labour Government of Malta?
Mr William Ormsby-Gore
, Stafford
No, Sir. I can add nothing to the previous replies on this subject. I might add that the right hon. Gentleman is mistaken in referring to the Government of Malta as being a "Labour Government."
Colonel Josiah Wedgwood
, Newcastle-under-Lyme
Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that recently this Labour Government in Malta—for there is a Labour Majority—has been criticised by an alien priest in that country, and are there any provisions in the Laws of Malta which enable people to be expatriated back to their own country if they interfere in local politics?
Mr William Ormsby-Gore
, Stafford
That raises a very thorny question of policy, and I cannot accept the right hon. and gallant Gentleman's description of the point as fully accurate, but, as he knows, this matter is the subject of inquiry. An Apostolic visitor is inquiring into the circumstances' of this particular case, and I think it would be very unwise for any of us, in any quarter of this House, to attempt to prejudge the examination of that question.
Colonel Josiah Wedgwood
, Newcastle-under-Lyme
Is the judgment of the Apostolic visitor of more importance and more decisive than the judgment of this House as to the freedom of the local government?
Colonel Josiah Wedgwood
, Newcastle-under-Lyme
That is what the right hon. Gentleman's answer said.
Mr William Ormsby-Gore
, Stafford
No; the right hon. and gallant Gentleman has misunderstood me. Pending the report on all the circumstances, I think it would be very unwise that we should make up our minds, one way or the other, until we have the full evidence before us.
Mr James Thomas
, Derby
Is not the real explanation that the Government do not want to commit themselves pending a change of Government?
Mr William Ormsby-Gore
, Stafford
I not not know whether the right hon. Gentlman means a change of Government in Malta. That seems likely, but it has nothing to do with it.
Colonel Josiah Wedgwood
, Newcastle-under-Lyme
I suppose it is the report of our Governor that is to be the information provided to the right hon. Gentleman, not the report of the Apostolic visitor?
Mr William Ormsby-Gore
, Stafford
Obviously, the British constitutional authority is the Governor, not the Apostolic visitor, but it is very desirable in these matters of religious discipline, affecting religious orders that we should ascertain what the official views in this matter are.
Mr George Lansbury
, Poplar Bow and Bromley
What does the Home Secretary say about it?
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
Laws are the rules by which a country is governed. Britain has a long history of law making and the laws of this country can be divided into three types:- 1) Statute Laws are the laws that have been made by Parliament. 2) Case Law is law that has been established from cases tried in the courts - the laws arise from test cases. The result of the test case creates a precedent on which future cases are judged. 3) Common Law is a part of English Law, which has not come from Parliament. It consists of rules of law which have developed from customs or judgements made in courts over hundreds of years. For example until 1861 Parliament had never passed a law saying that murder was an offence. From the earliest times courts had judged that murder was a crime so there was no need to make a law.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
