Nothing could have been more reasonable. But the Opposition—partly, we
suppose, because they wanted to prove that they have become more efficient in opposing as the result of their recent internal recriminations and search- ings of heart, and partly because they did not want incon- veniently to commit thernselves-Lresorted to an organized and irrational obstruction. Finally, they wailed out- in a. - body. Mr. Baldwin proved by chap-ter and verse that the Government's Mosul 'policy •waa in full conformity with Mr. MaeDonald's At *Lausanne the Labour Government had bound itself to accept the League's decision. The present Government had simply carried out that pledge. Critics of the present Government continually said that he (Mr. Baldwin) had definitely promised to leave Iraq in 1928, but when referring to the speech in which his promise was said to have occurred theyinvariably omitted the passage which recognized the necessity for a fresh Treaty with Iraq when the present , Treaty expired. III 1924 the Labour Government had left it to the Council of the League to decide how the mandate should continue to he discharged till Iraq became a member of the League. Even if the Council had not been bound it would have been impoSsible to throw up a mandate with the certainty of causing chaos.
