Is One Enough?
The sudden illness, and the probable absence from the House of Commons for some months, of a Scottish Labour Member of Parliament is grim proof of the truth of a sentence in the lead- ing article in last week's Spectator: 'It has always been likely and is now virtually certain that, if for health reasons alone, this Parliament cannot stand the strain of another winter on such a tiny majority.'
Nearly all the judgments that have been passed (and encouraged by Mr. Wilson) on the pros- pects of this Government lasting --`one is enough,' and the rest— have been far too inhuman. That is to say they have paid far too little attention to the simple fact that Members of
Parliament are human and mortal. Except on a direct clash on the Steel Bill it was not likely that Mr. Wilson would be defeated except by chance. But by deliberately choosing a tough legislative programme, by refusing to make an early appeal to the country, and by putting the maximum stress on his party, Mr. Wilson ignored the danger signals.
Mr. Wilson has been given every chance. He was helped by the Tories in his dilemma about filling the office of Deputy Chairman of Ways and Means. There has been no obstruction, no filibustering, no planned delay. Governmental incompetence rather than Opposition needling has been the main cause of the protracted sittings on the Finance Bill, which are bound to exact a price. Perhaps Mr. Wilson sees this now.
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