France and De Gaulle
The contrast between the current attempts of the French parties to frame a constitution for the Fourth Republic and General de Gaulle's repeated statements of his own conception of what France needs is the contrast between a circle and a straight line. The Constituent Assembly is elected, argues, compromises and produces a draft ; submits it to a referendum and 'has it rejected ; dissolves itself and then begins all over again. The process is now coming up to the referendum stage for the second time, the last vote having been taken in May, when the country decided that the draft sub- mitted gave too much power to the National Assembly and not enough to a second chamber or to the President. The new text does not do much to alter this unequal balance of power, and it is difficult to see how any draft procured by a compromise between Communists, Socialists and the moderate Catholics of the M.R.P. can do much to alter it. But General de Gaulle said once more at Epinal last Sunday that it must be altered. France must have a strong executive, separated from the legislature, and she will never get it as a result of party manoeuvres. All these facts are so well known in France that many Frenchmen will regard every vote cast against the present draft not as a vote for still more debate but as a vote for de Gaulle. The flaw in such an inference is that it is impossible to vote for a man who has no locus standi in French politics. If the present draft is not accepted on the referendum, then either the General must put his case in person in the-next Constituent Assembly or he must wait until France is sick of Constituent Assemblies and calls him back by name. Consistency requires him to follow the second course and the General is nothing if not consistent.
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