Echoes of last week's Indian debate continue to be heard,
and Mr. Churchill's partisans are cock-a-hoop over their large vote on Tuesday at a meeting of delegates from Conservative Associations. Their jubilation is ill- founded, because this vote only shows that the amount of support which they receive is proportionate to the irresponsibility of the persons voting. The most which they arc entitled to claim is that last week's vote in the House of Commons was not an approval of the details of proposals which have not yet taken a final form. but nobody ever pretended that it was. As Lord Eustace Percy showed in an admirable speech, the House of Commons was only asked to declare that it would not sacrifice its claim to statesmanship by pronouncing on proposals not yet drafted, and that still less would it commit itself to a set of proposals, such as those contained in Sir Henry Page Croft's motion, which were self- contradictory and illogical. Mr. Churchill is now asking not only that Parliament should have a free hand in framing proposals through the Joint Select Committee but also that the Government should abdicate respon- sibility for the Bill which will be drafted upon the Committee's report. That is clearly an impossible request. Meanwhile, Sir Samuel Hoare has very greatly increased his reputation for constructive firmness.
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