This 1931 cartoon satirises the divisions in conservative party politics in the early 1930s. Following the collapse of the United–Labour coalition in early 1931, the United Party continued to govern with Reform Party support. The two parties joined forces to fight the 1931 election as a coalition. The cartoon shows the Reform and United party leaders, George Forbes and Gordon Coates, in a chariot race with Labour leader Harry Holland. Titled 'Handicapped by their friends', it suggests that a cast of other conservative candidates might thwart the coalition's chances and see Labour charge ahead. In the event the coalition won, but its overwhelming defeat in 1935 highlighted the need for a single conservative party. The National Party was formed the following year.
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Penguin Random House
Reference:
Barry Gustafson, The first 50 years: a history of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen, 1986, p.5
Cartoon by Stuart Peterson
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