It was significant that almost every speaker who took part
in this discussion expressed extreme dissatisfaction. Irres- pective of party, there is a feeling that several Ministers have no conception of the magnitude of the effort that will be required in the coming months. It may be unjust to rank Mr. Brown among their number, for he has always shown himself a thoroughly capable head of his department. But no Minister in these days has a right to be quite so satisfied as he always appears to be. When he speaks from the despatch-box it is difficult to believe that the slightest shadow of doubt or uncertainty has ever crossed his mind. One can only hope that, as on one or two former occasions, he will eventually confound his critics. But he should recog- nise that the possibility of his critics confounding him exists. * * * *
Previous page
