The Disenchanted Mouse Recent leading articles in the Spectator have
been entitled The Mouse That Roared' and 'The Disenchanted.' Connoisseurs of the political art may take some enjoyment from these extracts from the speech of Mr. Zilliacus in last week's two-day debate on defence:
I agree with the right hon. and gallant Mem- ber for Norwood (Sir J. Smyth) that there is a great measure of similarity between the defence policy of the Government and the defence policy of the Opposition and that this has been achieved by the Government eating a great many of their words spoken before the election.
. . . in my view—I say it with sadness—the Defence White Paper is not so much a policy, more a way of death for the Labour Party and for everything for which it stands and, eventually, for humanity, including the people of this country.
This defence policy does not make sense in terms of the needs of the people, nor of the needs of our economy, nor is it compatible with our foreign policy, although we have de- clared that our foreign policy should be the master and defence should be the servant. . . .
. . Because, on the one hand, we want to sup- port our Government, we intend to vote for them, however much we dislike their policies, in order to keep them in power. That is the choice of the lesser evil. We believe that the return of the other side would be the ulti- mate disaster.
Therefore, we shall do our distasteful duty. . . .
No comment, I think, needed.
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