WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR ?
The crop of Ministerial answers to questions when the Commons reassembled on Tuesday showed no sign of a realisation of the growing public demand for effective action. Neither Mr. Strachey on the prepatedness of the army, Mr. Bevan on the recall of Class Z reservists, nor Mr. Morrison on the rearmament programme gave any information or even showed a desire to sink party differences and foster national unity. Indeed Mr. Bevan celebrated his first appearance in the House as Minister of Labour with a character- istic gibe of the kind which has made him a deeply distrusted figure. Speaking of the Class Z issue he said " It is a matter of great public interest because a great deal of misrepresentation has been made." That is nonsense. The matter is of public interest because of its direct effect on the lives of the millions of reservists aid their families, and because the only speedy way to build up a i effective armed force is by drawing on Class Z in the first instance.
The plain fact is that the session has made a very bad start. So 13r all the mental preparation for sacrifice in the cause of defence has been done independently of the Government, and even in spite of it. Unless the long awaited statement on rearmament provides some prietty impressive evidence of effective action the call for a strengthening of the national leadership at this critical time is bound to grow louder.
