Fifty years ago
AT A mass meeting of Conservatives in London on Wednesday, Mr. Churchill blew the first blast of the trumpet in his party's campaign against what he called `the incompetence and feebleness of the Socialist administration'; and he proph- esied that 'in the next few years we shall have come to fundamental quarrels in this country.' It is sad to hear the elo- quence that once united the country now employed in dividing her. Mr. Churchill is not to be blamed for that; yet it is a measure of the difference between his two roles that while once his voice inspired a universal and instinctive response it is now just as like- ly to provoke doubt, scepticism, or plain disagreement. Nevertheless, in attacking the Government for its demobilisation policy, and its failure so far to produce any of the houses which are our most pressing need, Mr. Churchill pressed on two very sore spots; yet the very ferocity of his attack lessened its effectiveness. The country at the moment regards the Government somewhat in the light of a military headquarters on the eve of a great and urgently necessary operation. It recognises that great operations require careful and complicated prepa- ration and planning, and that unless correctly launched they may well fail. If at the end of long waiting nothing hap- pens proportionate to the patience demanded, the Government will have to pay heavily; but if the operation suc- ceeds, the impatient critics will be silenced for a very long time.
The Spectator 30 November 1945
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