News of the Week
The Unemployment Debate
THE debate on unemployment in the House of Commons on Wednesday left the Government with a larger majority (twenty-nine) than they managed to keep at their last attempt, but the day was for them one of marked intellectual failure. They neither answered adequately the challenges of Sir 0Swald Mosley; which could have been answered easily enough, nor did' they give more than a chilly welcome to the idea of co-operation with the other Parties. If the policy of co-operation—which is the one great lope— is to come with any force it must" come hot and strong from the Prime Minister himself. Unfortunately, Mr. MacDonald was not master of his facts. When asked exactly how much the Government were spending on works—was it more than the late Government spent ?—he simply did not know.. Then,. Mr. Snowden had his guns spiked by Sir Robert Home, who compelled 'him to admit that the figures' he had given in the earlier debate about the disposal of reserve funds by certain steel firms were quite inaccurate.
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