OPTIMISTS • AND DEFEATISTS
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.]
SIR,—Whether or not your reviewer has correctly interpreted his functions, Lord . Allen's " friendly tilt". appears to be logical. " Britain's Political Future " is a plea for democracy. The author calls for policies which the reviewer admits are desired by all sensible men. When the latter suggests that such an attitude is over optimistic he is denying the whole thesis of the book.
Surely it is time that supporters of democracy took stock of their ideas and decided exactly where they stood.
Either democracy is the best method of government available or it is not ; if it could not produce and carry into effect policies that all sensible men desire, then dictatorship in some form would be inevitable.
It is this illogical lack of faith in what many of its supporters profess to believe that is causing the word democracy to degenerate into a mere party cry.
There is one issue that must be decided by the people of this country irrespective of their other political views. Do they want to be governed by reason or by violence ? Do they believe that they can be efficiently governed by democratic methods ?
A Conservative Party with its right wing tinted with Fascism and a Socialist Party with its left wing hinting at Communism is the main cause of the apparent apathy of the electors at recent by-elections.
Lord Allen suggests that by leading and trusting the people democracy can be made efficient—quite a good idea for democrats to think over !—Yours, &c.,
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