The Government can hardly be congratulated, and probably they did
not congratulate themselves, upon the debate on Unemployment in the House of Commons on Monday. The usual Nemesis overtook those who had pretended, while they were in opposition, that every- thing was perfectly simple, and that only ideas and energy were required to end unemployment quickly. To the recurrent question in the debate, "What is your solu- tion ? " Mr. Shaw, the Minister for Labour, could only reply that the Government must have time, that they were not conjurers who could suddenly produce rabbits out of hats. He even sought refuge in Mr. Asquith's familiar phrase "Wait and See ! " and when he did that he thoroughly earned the ironical applause which followed. Yet every path had been made easy in advance for him if only he had had some declared path to follow. Mr. Baldwin had said, "If you have a positive remedy, you will have the support of the House and the country, and your name will be blessed." Incidentally, Mr. Shaw made the mistake of taking credit to the Government where it was not due, when he said that the Government intended to make the benefits of Unemployment Insur- ance a right and not a charity. As Mr. Masterman at once pointed out, the benefits have always been a right.
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