A remarkable situation has been created. The Government can still
depend on a bodyguard of faithful supporters who will accept anything from the hands of Mr. Chamberlain. But there is scarcely a single one of these who carries the slightest weight with the House or who would be likely to sway the votes or opinions of other Members. This week there was a more striking contrast than ever before between the speeches of the dissidents and those of the loyalists. In between these two camps lies a large, amorphous body which is clearly unhappy about the present state of affairs, but which, apparently, has not yet made up its mind that drastic changes are essential. Never- theless, it is doubtful how long any Ministry can continue when its dependable Parliamentary following is of such poor quality. At the present time the Cabinet survives solely because it is united. The critics are not prepared to hurl their missiles at Mr. Churchill. And in the Norwegian affair it is impossible to draw a distinction between the First Lord and his colleagues. If it were not for him the survival of the Administration in its present form would be almost impossible. It is a peculiar irony that the man who was so long kept out should now constitute the shield and protector of his companions.
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