Untitled

Hokitika Guardian, 14 December 1929, Page 4

Tin? debate in the House of Lords on the question of the resumption of diplomatic relations 'between Great Britain and Soviet Russia opened up no fresh ground of any consequence, and relations are being resumed.

The British Government was determined not to be influenced by the fact that Lord Birkenhead’s motion that recognition of Russia was at present undesirable had received the support of a majority of the Peers. The discussion on the motion, however, had at least one satisfactory result: Lord Thomson, Minister for Air, who was the Government’s spokesman on the occasion, gave an assurance that any breach of the pledge which the Russian Government will be called upon to make to abstain from circulating propaganda, within the Empire will result in the dissolution of diplomatic relationships. Lord Thomson stated, moreover, that this would apply also to propaganda on the part of the Third International, and that is reassuring in view of the collapse of the negotiations ear’icr in the year mainly on this point, but it indicates that unless the Russian. Government is now prepared to make undertakings which it then refused the prospect of an agreement being arrived at is still somewhat remote. The Labour Party has made no secret of its anxiety to secure recognition of Russia, and the promptitude with which overtures were commenced when the MacDonald Government assumed office did not excite surprise. As it happened, the Government hastened matters regardless of the difficulties which had restrained is predecessor in office from opening conversations with the Soviet, and the issue was a complete fiasco, after negotiations which The Times characterised as having been, conducted “in such a manner as to reflect the maximum of discredit upon British diplomacy.” The British Government thus laid itself open to ridicule and disparagement by the Communist®, who spoke gleefully of “the rout of the pseudo-Labour Government fov Soviet diplomatists.” If the British Government has now received information from the Soviet -that the pledge (respecting, propaganda will he offered, and if it can lie believed that the pledge will he honoured, the resumption of relations will be of advantage, both in the interests of peace and also because there is a wide field for British enterprise to explore in Soviet territory.