M. Bidault Succeeds
The part played by M. Georges Bidault and by his party, the Mouvement Republicain Populaire, in the long crisis in France has been straightforward and honest. It ended last Friday with the formation of a new Government, in which the strength of the Socialists and Radicals is slightly reduced and That of the M.R.P. slightly increased. It is not yet certain that honesty has been the best policy, since office in France today cannot be regarded as a desirable reward, and the service which M. Bidault has done to France may quite possibly be forgotten by the time the next election takes place in 1951. But so far the M.R.P. has done itself no harm. Whether it can do itself any good by tackling the uninviting questions of policy which now face the country is another matter. So far is France from a solution of her economic difficulties that the cuts recently announced by Mr. Attlee in Britain were actually referred to by M. Paul Reynaud last week with admiration More- over the resistance of French trade unionists of all shades to any reduction in their claims for new bonuses is very determined. In short, all the old problems are still there. They are accompanied by a few new ones, for some very serious doubts are entertained as to the efficiency of a constitution under which the country can be without Government for four weeks, and there is a growing demand for the abandonment of proportional representation, which tends to perpetuate government by a coalition of parties which disagree on fundamentals. It is very doubtful whether M. Bidault's Govern- ment has sufficient internal strength to tackle these questions. By merely surviving it can ward off a complete breakdown of
But France will need something more positive to get 'her through the economic storms of the next few years.
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