The debate on the Bill in the House of Commons
began on Thursday, January 22nd. The Attorney- General explained that he proposed mere ly to restore to Trade Unions rights which had been, nurtured from 1871 onwards but were " vindictively restricted " by the Act of 1927. He admitted that strikes were barbaric weapons, and he hoped for the day when the use of them would be unnecessary, but at present in the name of justice and conciliation between classes it was necessary to remove the restrictions imposed in 1927. He agreed that a revo-, lutionary strike was rightly made illegal. This statement brought the whole House suddenly face to face with the question whether the Attorney-General considered the General Strike of 1926 illegal. But the Attorney-General was too shrewd to answer that question. He evaded it by remarking that if that strike was illegal it would remain illegal under the proposed new law.
