In connexion with the disarmament meeting at Geneva it will
be appropriate to say something here about the debate in the House of Commons on Thursday, November 24th, In 'a comprehengiVe -resantiiiii Mr: Mailkinald, taking as his chief weapon the reasons which Lard Cecil gave for resigning, --accused the Governinent of every Sort of sin. He held that they would not have signed the pledge . at Geneva " to outlaw aggressive . war " if they had not been forced to do so by the small nations. Now that the pledge had been signed what were the Government doing to implement it ? Li his opinion it - was necessary to define an. aggressive war, and he proposed that the definition of the Protocol—a refusal to accept arbitration—should be revived. This, of course, would • entail - a re-writing of Article XVI. of -the Covenant. Next Mr. MacDonald demanded that the Government should sign the " optional clause." The chief impression made upon us by Mr. MacDonald's speech is that all his thoughts were moulded by plaintive regret for the Protocol. * * * *
