22 NOVEMBER 1946, Page 1

NEWS OF THE WEEK

THE demonstration by Mr. Bevin's critics in the House of Commons last week could do, and did, no sort of good to anyone. The " rebels " themselves made an unimpressive show. By far the best speech technically was that of the opener, Mr. R. H. S. Crossman, but it was completely vitiated by its thesis, which was, in effect, that Britain had no foreign policy of its own and had been swept on unresisting in America's wake, and that the whole of American policy was consistently self-interested and sinister. There was, as the Prime Minister pertinently pointed out later, not one mention of the United Nations or of British foreign policy in rela- don to it, and not a suggestion that Britain and America might ever be acting together on occasion for the simple and sufficient reason that on many international questions they happened to think alike. Mr. Attlee's reply was able and convincing, but it could not prevent a good deal of harm being done by the debate. The rebels got no good out of it, for they cut an unimpressive figure in attacking the Government verbally and declining to back their words by their votes. The Government got no good out of it, for though the balance of argument was with them, the fact was that well over a hundred of their normal supporters refused to back them in the division-lobby was serious. Mr. Sevin, working against odds in New York, certainly got no good out of it, for the number of the dissi- dents was quite large enough to give his critics in other countries considerable aid and comfort. A good deal has been said, and much more might be said, on the conduct of the rebels in choosing a moment when the Foreign Secretary was abroad on his country's business to concentrate their attack on him. No doubt the oppor- tunity to move an amendment to the Address offered temptations, but if temptations were never resisted it would be a bad day for public and private morals.