Another Parliamentary success was scored during the week by Mr.
Duff Cooper, who put flesh upon the dry bones of the Army Estimates without the assistance of notes. Mr. Duff Cooper has shown great wisdom in working hard at a small job which a lesser man might have thought unworthy of his talents. Mi. Churchill also deserves praise for a much overdue exposure of the philosophy of pessimism inherent in Mr. Baldwin's famous speech on the danger of the annihilation of civilization by bombardment from the air. Mr. Churchill, however, did not touch the really weak point in this speech, which was its attempt to shift the responsibility for air disarmament from states- men now in power to those whom Mr. Baldwin vaguely called "the young men." The Governnient also during the week threw up its policy of an isolated embargo on the export of arms to the Far East. The change appeared popular in the House ; but it can hardly have done the Government in general and Sir John Simon in particular any good to have announced and reversed a decision of the first importance within a fortnight.
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