Washroom Politics

The French Socialist Party had lost its vigor, and its attraction for French voters. All it had left was its honor, which it tossed away last week in a stupid double-cross that caused the fall of Premier Andre Marie's month-old government.

The Socialists committed the unforgivable political sin: they sold out, and then refused to stay bought. What they wanted desperately was postponement of local elections scheduled for October. They hoped the voters would forget the irresponsible Socialist desertion that had brought about the fall of Premier Robert Schuman's government (TiME, July 26).

Schuman's M.R.P. and Marie's Radical Socialists needed the Socialists' votes to form a coalition government. They agreed to the election postponement and voted for it. The Communists also wanted the elections postponed because they, too, had been losing strength, and they feared that Charles de Gaulle's R.P.F. would show gains if the elections took place.

The Communists, however, were too smart to take the blame for postponing the elections. They merely abstained from voting, with sly Jacques Duclos announcing: "We want no part of this thieves' quarrel."

Then Marie, having given the Socialists what they wanted, tried to get them to deliver what he needed--their support for Finance Minister Paul Reynaud's emergency economic program.

The Socialists balked. For seven hours on one day last week and 15 hours on the next, they deadlocked cabinet meetings. Finally, Premier Marie had enough of it. "We are up against a blank wall," he said, "and I don't like the view." He decided to trick the Socialist tricksters, who, he knew, wanted to resign separately from the cabinet and leave him holding the bag. Marie asked to be excused for a minute. "I'll be right back," he said. Most of the ministers thought he had gone to the lavatory. Actually he had gone to draw up his government's resignation.

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