The Week in Parliament Our Parliamentary Corregpondent writes : 'What
sur- prises me most about' the new House of Commons is the lifelessness of the Labour Opposition. After all, the, little band in the last Parliament has been strengthened by over a hundred new Members, and its Front Bench contains all the available debating strength of the Party. Yet the Labour Party looked more dejected on the first day of the Debate on the Address than it did even after the rout of 1931. The Labour Members raised a brave cheer when Mr. Attlee opened fire on the Govern- ment, but though he did his best to give spirit to his attack he received little encouragement from his fol- lowers, and when he sat down it was to the accompani- ment of a few half-hearted " Hear, hears." . The com- prehensive programme contained in the King's Speech. was in part responsible. The Opposition finds it as difficult to criticise effectively the future programme of the Government as it found it in the election to make a really convincing onslaught on the Government record.
Previous page
