March 26.
The approval of the Consolidated Fund Bill, to which the debate in the House of] Commons on Britain's foreign policy was attached,. without a division, was the best! possible endorsement of Mr. Neville Chamberlain's speech, It was a timely statement and should serve to remove any misapprepensions as to where Great Britain stands: viszii-vis of Europe. The points he made are. quite clear, Britain will honour her military: commitments with France and Belgium under the League; she will enter into no additional entanglements in Central Europe; she will! adhere to the League of Nations' policy of promoting collective security, but with certain improvements; regardless' of- what action' France takes she will not intervene in the: Spanith civil war; she Will continue to seek a new Anglo-Italian agreement on which discussions have already begun, and in the meantime will proceed with the acceleration of her armament programme in order to be able to full her commitments to other Powers, That is a most reassuring and statesmanlike declaration and should make quite clear to the whole world exactly where Great Britain stands on subjects about} which there appears to have been some degree of uncertainty, If the speech were! necessary for home consumption it was even! more desirable for communication to the world at large, It does not mean that Mz.' Chamberlain is following a policy of peace at any price, but realizing from bitter experience that there are no winners in war, he makes plain that there were vital' issues in existence which would lead Britain to.fight if they were menaced. The safely of the: British Empire and its people is a vital essential, and the Prime Minister is assured, that those people would rise to any call to' take action ta defend themselves. There has: been no change of general policy, but the: assumption of an attitude necessitated by recent developments in Europe. That need] not necessarily mean that the ' principles adopted in the past have been thrown overboard—the Prime Minister makes it clear that has not been, and is" not being done—but that what it is believed are but temporary realities are being faced in a realistic manner.
Mr. Attlee's contention, that the: Prime Minister's speech failed to contain a note of! confidence and resolution, and that the Government failed to realise the full gravity of] the situation and the need for positive, not] mere negative action, was to be expected from the Opposition.' On the face of the rts, however, it seems that Mx. Cham-with considerable resolution. By. implication he rejects the policy suggested for months past by the Opposition which apparently desires to rush into all sorts of quarrels, and would like to sce Britain intervene in Spain, and take action to preserve the integrity of Czechoslovakia. Neither of those are of vital interest to Great Britain, and, as they are not, necessitate no more action with regard (o them than has already been taken. While British armaments are piling up at satisfactory rate, and though there is in prospect an additional acceleration the time is not yet, and never will come when the Empire will embark on all manner of quixotic adventures in Europe. British commitments are plain. They are to Belgium and France in the event of their being subjected to aggression. They will be honoured. That the Prime Minister has emphasized. Those commitments are automatic, and it is but right that such should be rigidly limited. That poses two alternatives. Should Great Britain forthwith assure France of support in military way if she is called upon to im-' plement her obligations to Czechoslovakia! owing to German aggression, or should she immediately declare readiness to act militarily, in resistance, in any forcible inter: ference with the independence and integrity of the Czechoslovaks and invite other nations to associate themselves with such a declara~_ tion? Under either alternative the decision as to whether or not Britain would find herself involved in war would be automatically' removed from the Government's discretion.
That as Mr. Chamberlain rightly contended was a position which the Government could not see its way to accept, and with that opinion there will be general concurrence. While it is impossible for the United Kingdom to return to a policy of isolation with regard to Europe, that is no reason whatever why. the government should embark upon a policy which would inevitably lead to an extension of such entanglements as this question of Czechoslovakia presents. The fewer the commitments Britain has in Europe the better, and the greater probability of the contribution to general peace which she is preparing under her defence programme. The time has passed when it might have been possible to secure peace though weakness, and it has been forcibly brought home that the only possible policy that can now be followed one of peace through strength. That that amounts to a moral deterioration of the European situation has to be accepted with the greatest regret. There is in too many European countries a spirit of aggression abroad. So long as its activities are confined to matiers which do not vitally affect Britisn interests all that is necessary is to watch it with a wary eye and preparedness for all developments, That, Mr. Chamberlain assured the House of Commons, he is doing, and though his leadership may not be as inspired as the Opposition would like it to be, it shows] every sign of being a cautious leadership and one which may steer the ship of state through the very troubled waters it is encountering. There is about the Prime Minister a sanity of outlook which seems to be missing from many of those who have recently so roundly criti cised him, and if ever sanity were wanted in the world it is precisely at this juncture. the circumstances it has to be admitted that!
Mr, Chamberlain has made a very substantial contribution to the cause of peace, There! should now be no misunderstanding of Great Britain's attitude, and if it proves disappointing to some, to the majority of the British people it will undoubtedly be a great relief that while Great Britain will not be precipitated into war through any automatic application of new undertakings, she will, however, fight when she thinks it imperative,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.