162 THE BRITISH APPROACH TO POLITICS

tunity for raising a variety of points connected with the Estimates
that are to be discussed After this general and rather haphazard
discussion, the Committee Considers the details of Estimates in
order. As has been shown, no one may propose that more money
shall be spent than the Government has requested: if a Member
thinks that a Service is being starved, he can move that the
salary of the Minister be reduced; if the motion were carried it
would amount to a vote of no confidence in the Government;
As each ccVote," i.e., item in the Estimates, is discussed, the
disagreements between Government and Opposition are made
clear; indeed, the whole effect of the Committee on Supply is
to debate the merits of the Government. This is extremely
useful; the Government is obliged to explain its policy in every
branch of its work, and the attention of the public is drawn
to the chief political questions of the day. But the Committee
ceases to be a body which considers whether the Government
is careful with money; the question at issue is always, "Is this a
proper object on which to spend money?", not "Could this
object be attained at less cost?" In 1936 and 1937 the Labour
Opposition was faced with a problem about the Estimates foi
the Armed Forces. The Labour Party was of opinion that if it
were in power it would itself, have to propose large armament
expenditure; could it, then, reasonably oppose the Estimates?
Could it, on the other hand, vote for them, and so seem to agree
with the arming of a Government whose foreign policy it con-
demned? The decision was to criticise policy during the debate
and abstain from voting at the end. The debate is, in fact, more
important than the vote: the former allows opinions to be
expressed; the result of the latter is determined by the Govern-
ment's majority.

The Committee on Supply continues its sittings at intervals
with the other work of the House, and will use twenty Parlia-
mentary days to complete the Estimates. The work will not be
finished by April ist, the beginning of the next financial year,
and after that date the Government will have BO authority to