THE SHAPE OF THINGS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 11, Issue 269, 18 August 1944, Page 5

THE SHAPE OF THINGS

' Sir, read with interest the article on the new House of Commons (July 7) which you say had been previously printed in the New York Times; also your editorial on the same subject. I beg to disagree with some of your comments. Mr. Churchill is neither freakish nor irresponsible in his public utterances, but a person of obviously shrewd judgment, whose every word seems carefully chosen. It is probably his

mental make-up which oftén -leads people to think he scoffs at logic and puts custom before reason, Your correspondent "Squarehead" describes Mr. ‘ Churchill’s. speech in the House * of Commons as being fantastic, Personally, I thought the. speech was full of sound common sense, and apparently the members of the "House" thought so, too, for there have been no adverse commentsor at least I haven’t seen any -in the home papers I have received, I did see one article by Professor Joad in the Sunday ‘Dispatch of October 31. last, which I enclose. Apparently he agrees with Mr. Churchill’s fantastic . reason-

ing.

JOHN J.

GILBERT

Whanga-

Tei)

[We reproduce part .of Professor Joad’s article: ‘Some members have recommended that the new House should be circular. I think not. Circularity would facilitate the formation of groups representing different parties and interests, shading one into another imperceptible degrees as in the French Chamber, and making effective Government impossible becatise of the continual manoeuvring of the different groups to obtain temporary shifting majorities, In -an oblong Chamber, Left is Left and Right is Right, with the Liberals ®: » tucked away somewhere in the middle,. apd the Government is either of the Left or of the Right, and is, therefore, a clearcut Govetnment which, because it is clearcut, can govern. The party system works very effectively with two parties each sitting visibly on its different side; ‘so that you know which is. which and where you