WAR DIRECTION

Wairarapa Times-Age, 21 May 1942, Page 3

WAR DIRECTION

DEBATE IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS FAITH IN MR CHURCHILL’S LEADERSHIP. IN SPITE OF DISASTERS. (British Official Wireless.) (Received This Day, 11.15 a.m.) RUGBY, May 20. At the start of the second day of the debate in the House of Commons on the war situation, Sir Stafford Cripps, as Leader of the House, explained that Mr Churchill was not present in accordance with the arrangement made last March, when Sir S. Cripps was appointed leader to enable Mr Churchill to absent himself to attend to more pressing affairs. Mr L. Hore-Belisha (Nat. Lab.), insisted that it was -most necessary to improve joint planning. He did not think an almost unending and unbroken sequence of strategic disasters could be divorced from the mixture of political, strategic and military elements in the war directing machine. Mr A. P. Herbert (Ind.), said the people had faith in their leader and they should resist the democratic tendency to try to knock down heads which came above the crowd.

Mr A. Beverley Baxter (Con.), said that despite a long list of disasters, Mr Churchill’s name still stood high. He believed Mr Churchill would lead the country to victory. Mr Baxter said that if the Japanese landed in Australia, the people of Britain would feel it as deeply as if the fighting took place on their own beaches. The Prime Minister who. had done so much to keep the English people together should give more faith and more voice to our own kith and kin in the Empire. Mr W. J. Brown, paying a tribute to Mr Churchill’s unique contribution to the war effort, emphasised Mr Churchill’s handling of the Russian entry into the war with a speech which constituted a great act of statesmanship.