A SPECTATOR 'S NOTEBOOK
THE members of the House of Commons who reacted so vehemently against the idea that the Prime Minister's coming statement on the progress of the war should be broadcast have done the common man an ill turn. I have not the smallest doubt that if the country were polled nine out of every ten of its citizens would vote for the broadcast. None of the objections seem to me to have any decisive weight. It is fantastic to suggest that a considered statement by the head of a National Govern- ment, who happens also to be the Minister of Defence, would be of such an ex perrte character that it ought not to be radiated without a reply. The answer to that is that Mr. Churchill may, in fact, broadcast substantially, perhaps precisely, the same speech at a later hour, at some physical cost to himself and some in- evitable loss of freshness in delivery. There are many objections to broadcasting regularly the proceedings of the House as a whole—the B.B.C. could probably not spare a wave-length for so many hours, and to encourage Members who now talk to the gallery to talk to the air would be lamentable—but the Prime Minister's original proposal was hedged about with all possible safeguards ; no precedent was to be created ; the House was to authorise the broadcasting of only this single statement, and it would remain as free as ever to decide against any repetition of the experiment. Mr. Churchill has shown his invariable sensitiveness to the opinion of the House by at once dropping his proposal when he saw that it aroused criticism. As a good Commons man, he is right in that, but that still leaves it open to the electors who 'nit Members where they are to think the Commons wrong.
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