26 MAY 1939, Page 3

The House, as a whole, was not so deeply divided

into pro-Jew and pro-Arab as were those who spoke. The less prejudiced agreed that neither present nor past Govern- ments came well out of the sorry business. Mr. Malcolm MacDonald's speech was presented with great ability and charm, but neither Mr. Butler, in his most turgid and un- inspiring form, nor Sir Thomas Inskip, whose forensic style was hardly suitable to the occasion, were adequate to deal with the case advanced by Mr. Amery and Mr. Churchill. The former chose the dinner hour in which to speak, and he is inclined to speak for too long, but on Monday he held, and genuinely moved, all who listened to him, and deeply impressed even his opponents. Mr. Churchill added one more to his oratorical triumphs. If only Mr. de Rothschild's manner had been comparable to his matter, his would have been one of the most stirring contributions to the debate. Mr. Crossley's presentation of the Arab case was pleasantly well done—what nonsense it is to pretend that the back benches are empty of good material—and Sir Ralph Glyn and Mr. Beaumont were others who put the Arabs in their debt. Mr. Noel Baker was both erudite and emotional ; he deserved a far larger House. And no one will ever forget Dr. Little's maiden speech, which recalled far-off days and revealed to a delighted House that the Irish question can be always with us.