This means, in effect, that the Government realise that the
task of proceeding with the Budget on the present lines has become hopeless, and, that no attempt will be made to deal with it before August 9th. If, however, as seems likely, the opposition to the alteration of the Standing Orders is very strenuous, and if the debates on the Navy and Imperial defence are protracted, it may not be possible to get to the Budget even by the 9th. Meantime there are still awaiting discussion the Irish Land Bill, the Labour Exchanges Bill, and several other contentious pieces of legislation to which the Government are pledged, and, in. addition, there is the South African Union Bill, which cannot possibly be postponed. In view of these facts, surely the wise thing for the Govern- ment to do is to postpone the land clauses till next year. If they adopt such a course, we can have little doubt that the rest of the. Budget will, go through without any very great difficulty in the Commons, and will be accepted by the Lords. No doubt some of the supporters of the Government would be very angry for a time, but such Parliamentary anger soon evaporates, and to the Welsh and Scottish Members Mr. Asquith would be able, by-way of solace, to quote the Virgilian tag of Pass i graviora.
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