« a-I \HE whole House will share the regret expressed by
JL the right hon. Gentleman (Mr. Greenwood) at the
cause which made it necessary for him to open the Debate
this afternoon instead of the Leader of the Opposition. We
all hope that the right hon. Gentleman who leads the Opposi-
tion will soon be restored to his usual health.
" The right hon. Gentleman who has just spoken promised
us on Friday that the Debate which took place to-day would
be carried on on a high level, and, if I may be allowed to say
so, he has, as far as he is concerned, amply fulfilled that
promise* And so, feeling as I think he does, that this is an
occasion on which we should rather stress the points on
which we agree than those on which we differ I shall, while
noting his reference to the leonine character of those who sit
around him, not attempt to go back to any matters of differ-
ence, but rather address myself to the situation that is before
us. When my Noble Friend the Member for South Dorset
(Viscount Cranborne) suggested on Friday that it might be
a good thing if this Debate were to be postponed for a time,
I confess that my first thought was rather to agree with him,
not because I anticipated that any harm could be done by
the Debate, but because I realised that nothing was likely to
occur over the week-end which would enable me to give the
House any new information.
" While, of course, the right hon. Gentleman opposite very
rightly and properly put forward his ideas as to the manner
in which the matter should be developed, he will recognise that
it is not so easy for me, who am about to take part in con-
versations, to say in public what exactly are the lines on which
we wish to go. If, as I hope may be the case, the result of
this Debate Is to show that fundamentally and generally this
House is unanimous in its approval of the declaration which I
made on Friday,, and is united and determined to take whatever
measures may be necessary to make that declaration effective,
the Debate may well serve a very useful purpose* The
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