The Week in Parliament Our Parliamentary Correspondent writes : Maybe
it is the reaction after the events of September and October, or perhaps it is the supposed imminence of a General Election ; but, whatever the reason, the House of Commons is listless and bored. There was an astonishingly poor attendance on Monday when the continuance of the Special Areas Acts was under discussion. Even the Labour Party was not present in force ; the Liberal bench was empty at times ; while for long periods of the debate there were barely half a dozen Government supporters in the chamber. Conser- vative back benchers frequently complain in the house and elsewhere that they find it impossible to catch the Speaker's eye. Yet on Monday between 8.54 and 10.39 there were six Labour speeches in succession. If any member of one of the Government Parties had risen during this tune, he would have been called as • a matter of course. There are far too many M.P.s wh6i omy trouble to attend the Houte on great occasions. • * * * *
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