7 OCTOBER 1938, Page 3

Parliamentary Notes Our Parliamentary Correspondent writes : That Mr. Chamberlain

commands at the moment the support of an overwhelming majority of the electors few people will dispute. Yet an uninstructed observer who listened to the speeches in the House of Commons on Monday might well have come away with a precisely contrary impression. The critics made a highly impressive showing, particularly those on the Government's own side. Mr. Duff Cooper's habit of outspokenness has frequently got him into trouble in recent years. But it served him well in his resignation spetch, and, since he spoke with first-hand knowledge of the informa- tion that had been available to the Cabinet, his was much the most damaging of the attacks. Mr. Eden intervened with effective moderation. An unexpected recruit to the ranks of the Conservative Opposition was Mr. Richard Law, who speaks with almost studied diffidence, but whose remarks have none the less a quality of incisiveness rare among back- bench orations. Mr. Attlee and Sir Archibald Sinclair were careful not to overstate their case and, with a fine sense of tactics, left it to their temporary allies on the benches opposite to make the running. The Prime Minister made scarcely any attempt to be argumentative, and contented himself for the greater part of his time with a soberly-worded narration of the events since Wednesday of last week. The House was genuinely pleased to hear of the proposed loan to the Czechs although a mutter of " conscience-money " ran along the Opposition benches. * * * *