The Week i
n Parliament
THE censure debate last week emphasized once again the gap which exists between the younger genera- tion of politicians and the old brigade. Mr. Baldwin, who opened, reassumed a position of more or less indifferent detachment. Concerning food taxes he announced that he had a " completely open mind "—Sir Oswald Mosley unkindly suggested at a later stage that it was so far open as to be vacant. But he made one concrete proposal of interest—namely, that a permanent Imperial Economic Council should be created forthwith. Just when he was beginning to warns to his theme he sat down with a bump. These unexpected cessations are becoming a habit with Mr. Baldwin, and remind one uncomfortably of " musical chairs " ; but they possess one indisputable advantage in that they invariably disconcert the Government
spokesman who is to follow, and who is never quite ready to begin. It took Mr. Snowden several minutes to get into his stride. And what a stride it then proved to be ! A bleak dissertation on Free Trade in the approved 1851) style, with a few definitely misleading statements of fact, which were subsequently corrected by Mr. O'Connor.
Mr. Lloyd George followed up with a rather mischievous party speech, which evoked no response, even front the benches behind him. He dated on this occasion from about 1910, and thus represented an advance on Mr. Snowden. But it was left to Sir Oswald Mosley to bring the House somewhat harshly to a consideration of the realities of 1930. He added to his rapidly increasing Parliamentary reputation with a forcible analysis of our present economic difficulties, and a plea—subsequently
expanded by Mr. Wise—for the control of primary imports. They both carefully avoided the obvious practical diffi- culties of such a scheme, but succeeded in making out a prima facie case for its unbiased examination by tech- nical experts at the forthcoming Imperial Conference.
Mr. Hammcrslcy and Mr. Boothby invited the House and the Government to consider the question of gold supplies in relation to the increasing world production of commodities, but the inclination to shy off a subject which is mistakenly regarded as too complex for the lay mind on both sides of the House continues, and they addressed a sparse audience. Through all this the front- bench brigade sat glumly enough, trying to look uncon- cerned, and actually looking uncomfortable.
On Thursday Mr. Churchill moved, on the report stage of the Finance Bill, the Liberal clause relating to income- tax exemption for expenditure on new plant which had been so narrowly rejected in Committee, and quite a good debate ensued. But upon this occasion the Government secured a substantial majority, after Sir Herbert Samuel had explained to nobody's satisfaction why he and his friends proposed to abstain from the division. Unem- ployment Insurance was considered on Friday, when the money resolution to increase the borrowing powers of the Fund came under discussion. Mr. Oliver Stanley enter- tained the House with an attack on the barren futility of the Government, which was almost entirely out of order, and none the worse for that ; and Mr. Strachey made the best speech he has yet given us.
So it goes on. Cruisers on Monday—a nice simple theme, with the First Lord and Mr. Churchill both speaking well—followed by coal. Finance (once more) on Tuesday, with an onslaught on the Chancellor of the Exchequer for further increasing the Sinking Fund, in which Sir 0. Mosley, Mr. Stanley, and Mr. Strachey again played effective parts. Unemployment Insurance and Public Works Loan Board on Wednesday. Every- one is anxious to get away now, and the House is tho- roughly stale and exhausted.
WATCHMAN.
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