6 MAY 1955, Page 9

I AM AMUSED by the series of election articles called

'Off the Party Line,' which the News Chronicle is running during the campaign under the direction of Mr. Percy Cudlipp. Five 'independents' have been asked to contribute their views. They are Mr. J. B. Priestley, Mr. Dingle Foot, Mr. Kingsley Martin, Mr. Malcolm Muggeridge and Miss Marghanita Laski. As far as I know, Mr. Muggeridge is the only one of these `indepen- dents' who certainly does not stand to the Left. Mr. Priestley is a lapsed Socialist, a sort of Poujade of the super-tax class. Mr. Kingsley Martin and Miss Marghanita Laski both boast their own brands of Socialism. Which leaves Mr. Dingle Foot, the avowed Liberal. But not for long. I do not wish to forestall the News Chronicle, but I learn on good authority that Mr. Foot is about to announce his desertion from the Liberals and • THE HYDROGEN BOMB. By James Shepley and Clay Blair, Jr. (Jar1olds, 12s. 6d.) his intention of voting for the Labour Party. On the whole, the adventure seems to be weighted pretty effectively on the side of the Labour Party, which may be odd in the News Chronicle, but is not so odd in a series arranged by Mr. Percy Cudlipp, the former editor of the Daily Herald.