On Thursday, May 26th, in the House of Commons the
Labour Party brought forward their motion pro- testing against the rupture of diplomatic relations with Russia without previous inquiry by a Select Committee. Of course no Government could possibly have submitted- to the verdict of a Select Committee. Mr. Clynes's proposal was simply a vote of censure under another name. When Mr. Ramsay MacDonald was Prime Minister he declared in the critical Russian debate which brought about his downfall that whatever form motions against him might take, he would regard them all equally as votes of censure. And he was perfectly right. There were no facts upon which a Select Committee could have thrown any fresh light. The facts were not in dispute. The whole point was whether, knowing the facts, the Government were justified in breaking with the Soviet. Obviously that was a matter in which judgment, right or wrong, .must rest solely with the Government.
