The Sedition Bill is being fought in the best traditions
of a Parliamentary opposition. The speeches have been short and well-reasoned, and though after more than eight hours' continuous debate on the Report stage on Tuesday the first clause had not been disposed of, the Attorney- General was unable to make any charge of conscious obstruction: The honours of debate so "far must go to the Clydesiders and the Liberal Party. Official Labour has played its part, but as so often they give the impression of never really having read the Bill, and men like Mr. Maxton and Mr. Buchanan and among the Liberals Mr. Mallalieu and the Foots, father and son, have made all the running. Their pertinacity has secured from the Government 'a- valuable additional Parliamentary day for debating the measure. This concession coupled with the Attorney-General's decision to substitute a High Court Judge for two magistrates as the authority for issuing a search warrant under the Act proves how responsive are Governments even with gigantic majorities to political pressure from the constituencies. There has been certainly no sign of a revolt within their own ranks against the measure. The Simonites and the National Labour group have been as assiduous in their support of the Government as the Conservatives.
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