Debates on foreign affairs generally reach a high standard.
Perhaps the most interesting contribution on Monday last came from the Duchess of Atholl. There has been nothing in recent Parliamentary history to compare with the evolution of the Duchess. In the last Parliament she was the most stem and unbinding of Tories, dividing her energies between the exposure of Bolshevik tyranny and resistance to Indian constitutional reform. Since 1935, driven by the logic of events, she has become a fierce antagonist of Fascism in all its manifestations and an apostle of full collective security. In Monday's debate she championed the cause of the Spanish Government in spite of a stream of interruptions from Admiral Taylor, Captain M'Ewen, Commander Agnew and other spokesmen of the fighting services. For the official opposition the debate was wound up by Mr. Noel Baker, whose manner is a trifle too didactic but who presents his case with admirable lucidity. On this occasion he may have put it a little too high. But when a speaker pleads for the rebuilding of the League it is scarcely an adequate answer to shout " War " at every mention of sanctions or collective action. Have the die-hards entirely forgotten the General Election of 1935 ?
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