The Struggle For Peace

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the Government what was their view as to the proper action
to be taken to deal with these two sources of difficulty and
anxiety with which we are faced to-day, and I propose myself
to devote a few of my remarks to the situation in Spain and
to the questions which have been raised in the course of the
Debate upon that subject, and also to say something about
the situation in the Far East.
" My right hon. Friend was imprudent enough to express
some satisfaction that the party opposite had come to the
conclusion that, in the present state of the world, they could
not refuse their support for the rearmament of this country.
I think he said he hoped that might lead to further agreement
.between us. That, of course, was rash on the part of my
Bright hon. Friend, and it at once provoked a terrified effort
on the part of the right hon. Gentleman opposite to show
his friends behind him that there really was no truth in that
scandalous statement. We know that the right hon. Gentle-
man has his troubles. One of the greatest of his troubles,
who is not now sitting near him but—in another capacity—
may not be very far off, must have given him some anxiety
about the future. Therefore, I am not surprised that he
endeavours to dwell on that subject on which he hopes that
unity may still remain in his party, namely, criticism of the
Government's policy. But really, when in order to bring
that out he travesties the policy of His Majesty's Government
. in the way he did in his speech, I think he should remember
that misrepresentations of that kind are apt to have their
repercussions. He suggested that for the Government there
was no question of right or wrong in the world save where
the material interests of the British Empire were concerned.
.Let him take care that he does not find people taking for
granted that where British material interests are concerned,
the Labour Party has no interest itself in the matter, and
that the only objects for which they would be prepared to
'use British armaments, British soldiers, sailors and airmen,
would be those in which there is no material British interest
involved. Let him beware of this, that when he is ridiculing
the policy of His Majesty's Government, he does not give
rise to misrepresentations of that kind.
" " Let me come to the particular question of the Spanish