the strength of parties, may be shown best in tabular form (Table A). Party gains are 

 shown in Table B. 



Table A . Result of General Election of December ipio. 



Showing numbers of Liberals, Labour Party, Irish Nationalists, Independent Irish Nation- 

 alists, and Unionists returned. 



Allowing for the recount at Exeter, and the by-election at Cheltenham (April 28th) 

 resulting from a successful petition, the new Parliament opened in 1911 with a Minis- 

 terial majority of 122, the coalition of Liberals (270), Labour Party (42) and Irish Na- 

 tionalists (84), numbering 396, and the Unionists 274. The precise balance of voting 

 strength in the electorate cannot be stated, owing to the fact that 71 Unionist and 

 H8 Ministerial seats were not contested; the Unionist votes recorded were 2,426,681 and 

 Ministerialist 2,807,753; but if an allowance is made for the uncontested seats, the 

 Ministerialist majority might be taken at between 240,000 and 350,000. In England 

 alone the Unionists had a majority of 17 seats (241 to 224). 



It may be convenient here to notice the results of the subsequent by-elections which 

 for various reasons became necessary during 1911 and 1912. While the Parliament Bill 

 was still the main issue, no change was made in the position of the parties, 

 191'*, 1912* but afterwards the Unionists won three seats in 191 1 at Oldham (Nov. i3th), 

 South Somersetshire (Nov. 2ist) and North Ayrshire (Dec. 2oth), and in 

 1912 gained further successes at South Manchester (Nov. 5th), Crewe (July 26th), 

 North- West Manchester (Aug. 8th) , Midlothian (Sept. loth) , and Bow and Bromley^Nov. 

 26th). This improvement in their position was marked still more by their gains in vot- 

 ing strength, which became particularly noticeable when the Insurance Act of 1911 was 



1 At Bow and Bromley, though the Unionist won a seat, the defeated candidate Mr. 

 Lansbury was not actually standing as a supporter of the Government. He had resigned 

 in order to vindicate his independence as a supporter of woman's suffrage, and the issues 

 were consequently "mixed." 



