14 NOVEMBER 1931, Page 9

If Mr. Lansbury failed to impress the House, so also

did the Prime Minister. There was indeed only one Parliamentary success on the opening day, namely, the speech of Mr. Geoffrey Lloyd in moving the Address. He broke right away from the tradition that these speeches should be innocuous and unchallenging, and succeeded in calling for a bold policy without a trace of that pretentiousness which might so easily have marred the performance of a young man who knew what he wanted to say. What he said was that the electorate expected instant and resolute action directed towards the provision of work under tariffs, the creation of Imperial Economic Unity, and the rescue of British agriculture. Mr. Flint, the National Labour member who sprang into fame by having a majority of two only—magnas inter opes mops—was rather overshadowed by his colleague ; but his insistence upon international problems was timely and his speech deserved the warmer reception which it would undoubtedly have received but for its brilliant forerunner.

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