On Wednesday the .sequel to the Government defeat was such
an .uproar and ,disturbance that the House had to be adjourned. This was not, however, merely an expression of jubilation over the victory of the Opposition , or of impatience at the 'Government's immobility, but the result of a considered policy of obstrection decided on beforehand. At the Labour Party meeting in the morning, it was decided that unless the Government would appoint a Committee to inquire into the ex-Service men question—which was what the -fatal division had really been taken on—the Party should try to make 'further business impossible. Mr. MacDonald found a precedent for this in what had happened after the last " snap " defeat of a Government, in November, 1912, when the Unionists, then in opposition, shouted down every speaker -until the Liberal Government found a regular and Constitutional way out of the difficulty. Though not an exact precedent, this was undoubtedly a closely parallel incident. It does not seem quite clear why the Government refused to appoint the Committee and thus satisfy the Opposition, since they are, according to Mr. Baldwin, quite ready to consider .sympathetically the ex-Service men's case. The Government are now said to have given way and to be willing to appoint an ad hoc Committee. If only they could have reached this decision a day earlier we should have been -spared a somewhat unpleasant scene and should have had the important debate on Agriculture, which had been fixed for Wednesday, in order to affect the forthcoming meeting of farmers and strikers in Norfolk.
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