A SPECTATOR'S NOTEBOOK
DURING the recent parliamentary debatz on his department Mr. Bracken made it clear that he did not give the Ministry of Inrormation a long future. No one would wish to see a prolongation either of the censorship or of the propagandist activities of the Ministry, but the problem of informing the public, whether directly or through the Press, about the policy of His Majesty's Government re- quires more consideration. The "public relations" sections of the various departments of State cannot fulfil ths general function, and in any case people at large are, rightly or wrongly, a little suspicious that the publicity thus provided tends to be centred more on the Minister than on the problems of his department. A parliamentary debate is useful especially as an occasion for criticism, but is not the most suitable channel for the conveyance of information. The method of parliamentary question and answer, again, has its value, but a study of the questions—and answers—over a period of years shows the limitations of such a system of dealing with complicated issues.
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