17 DECEMBER 1937, Page 3

The Week in Parliament Our Parliamentary Correspondent writes : There

may be two views on the wisdom of the Leader of the Opposition's visit to Republican Spain, but the anticipated " occasion " of Mr. Attlee's reply to back-bench Conservatives who had sponsored a censure motion provided no thrill. The Leader of the Opposition missed an opportunity to score a boundary. Although dignified and comprehensive, his personal explana- tion was unduly long, and his remark that he refrained from criticising the British Government's policy unnecessarily apologetic. Mr. Attlee is reported to have been profoundly impressed by what he saw, and indeed all of my acquaintances who have visited Government Spain have caught something of the infectious enthusiasm that inspires the Republic. The insinuation that as Leader of the Opposition he now draws a salary and must therefore guard his tongue with special caution reflects no credit on those who made it, among them Lord Winterton. Mr. Neville Chamberlain's adroit intervention did credit to his skill as a Parliamentarian, even if technically it was out of order.