QUESTION MARKS
One question, then, has been partially answered by Mr. Eden's return, but it is immediately swallowed up by the bigger one of the Prime Minister's health. It is on this that everything depends. The country has been kept in the dark too long, and no one has any idea when Sir Winston will be able to return to active command, or, when that happens, to What extent his doctors will oblige him to delegate responsi- bility. His party is no less confused about this than the electorate. But whether Sir Winston can return in good time Or not, a considerable rearrangement of the Government seems likely, and in the matter of strong political personalities the '-onservative Party is not particularly fortunate. There are Other possibilities, though. That, for instance, of an early et.lection. The Conservatives' main legislative programme has Qeen carried through. If foreign affairs were to take an astonishingly quick turn for the better, and away from the °id rigid pattern of opposing absolutes which seems to be teasserting itself just when the hope had arisen that there was 13.honle chance of a real thaw, then, of course, the Conservative varty's hand would be immeasurably strengthened. But the Prize of a genuine peace abroad is certainly not going to fall into the Government's lap in nice time for it to be borne in triumph to the country at an autumn election. An alternative issue on which the Conservatives might conceivably go to the country is the success of Mr. Butler's economic policy in keeping crisis at bay, but the view is already widespread that credit is due as much to circumstances as to Mr. Butler's manipulation of them. Crisis is still round the next corner.
Conservative members have indeed much to chew over dur- ing the recess. So have Labour members, in whose party the struggle for power is much more open to the world than it is among the Conservatives. All the signs show that the controversy between the union leaders on the right and the Bevanites on the left will come to crisis within the next two months. Whatever happens, the party would have the greatest difficulty in glueing its two parts together firmly enough to stand up with much confidence to the challenge of a general election.
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