208 THE BRITISH APPROACH TO POLITICS

the bulk of Labour's fimds coming from those Trade Unionists
who pay the "political levy" which makes them affiliated members
of the Party. Much work, however, is done without payment;
indeed, one of the admirable features of British politics is the
large number of men and women who will do hard, and some-
times tedious work—canvassing, envelope-addressing, organising
social activities—week after week, for no other reason than that
they believe in their party's principles.

Those who complain that parties divide the nation urge that
the ideal Government would combine the best men of all shades
of opinion; the process of finding the highest common factor of
agreement, by which parties themselves are made, would be
extended till all -could act together. Thus the strife of parties
would vanish and citizens would work together in harmony for
the common good. The same sentiment sometimes expresses
itself more prosaically as a demand for "Business Government*:
the shareholders of a business do not arrange themselves in
parties; why should citizens do so? To this criticism, the party
programmes provide an answer; they ^are not lists of measures,
each of which can be considered apart from the rest. Socialism,
for example, may or may not be a practicable policy; what is
certainly not practicable is to distribute wealth on Socialist
principles while the ownership of land and industry remain as
at present. The Conservative policy towards industries is based
on the assumption that private persons will continue to control
them. One who believes that private enterprise and private profit
are essential to progress, and one who believes them to be the
chief cause of our difficulties, cannot frame an agreed policy. An
appeal to the disputants to "put country before party" begs the
question, for each believes his policy to be the best for the
country, and the greater his zeal for his country, the greater his
anxiety to get that policy adopted. A Government formed from
men of all parties will be subject to constant disagreement within
itself; its policy will be vacillating, and, in the endeavour to
please everyone, will please no one. Coherent and effective policy