The Week in Parliament Our Parliamentary Correspondent writes: The House
is in a strangely optimistic mood at the moment. The reason for it is not very clearly defined, but there is a feeling that the corner to Peace has been turned at last. Now that we are back to a policy of collective defence, and the Prime Minister, as evidenced by his speech at the Albert Hall, which has received universal commendation, has shown that he is pre- pared to match his words to his actions, even Herr von Ribbentrop may be persuaded that we mean business. No one, of course, can yet see the final way out of the present difficulties, but many consider that it would be highly dangerous to concentrate exclusively on rearmament. At the same time, no one underestimates the very great advance that we have made in the air, and if Dr. Burgin, when at last the Ministry of Supply is set up, can do as much for the Army as Sir Kingsley Wood has done for the Air Force, critics of our defences will gratefully be silenced. Members are disconcerted over the position of Army supplies which has come to light through the doubling of the Territorial Army and the Conscription measure. Mr. Hore-Belisha did not appear to satisfy his Tory critics when Major Whitely and Captain Macnamara put some pertinent questions to him about clothing. It is well known that, at the moment, numbers of men would have to go trouserless to war.
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