The eighteen Liberal members have a difficult task. They still
represent a substantial fraction of the electorate, especially in the country districts, and a nation-wide organisation. They are therefore constrained, in spite of their diminutive numbers, to act as a fully-equipped Opposition party and not merely as a subordinate group. It is a gallant endeavour and, on the whole, a successful one. They continue to be admirably led by Sir Archibald Sinclair (surely the most romantic figure among all the party chiefs) and they have two first-class debaters in Mr. Kingsley Griffith and Major Gwilym Lloyd George. Mr. Mander is an expert Parlia- mentary picador who can goad to frenzy even the most bovine of Ministers. Nevertheless the Liberals as a body tend to become too much a party of specialists, each member confining himself to certain subjects. No doubt it is a neces- sary arrangement in their reduced circumstances, but it does not always make for effectiveness in debate. Specialists frequently tend to miss the wood for the trees.
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