TALK OF LONDON.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 238, 7 October 1936, Page 13

TALK OF LONDON.

WARS AND RUMOURS. FREEDOM OF MIDDLE SEA. POLITICAL ALIGNMENTS. (By NELLE M. SCANLAN.) LONDON, September 10.; I had dinner last night with two artists who liave been living in Spanish territory. One, Miss Gwen Knight, of Wellington, had spent four years in the Balearic Isles. Just before the Spanish Revolution broke out, she had a "hunch" that she would like to get back to England, so she packed up h'er pile of can- i vases, and left her sunny peaceful retreat at Ibixe. To-dav the hotel < where she had lived is a pile of ruins. Many of her friends had to be evacuated by British warships; some of them losing most of their possessions. Now that she is back in London, Miss Knight is planning to have a one-man show of her paintings, and she has some very fine pictures to exhibit. The other artist was an Englishwoman, who had arrived that afternoon from Teneriffe, another Spanish possession. She told me that there had been two days' fighting at Santa Cruz, and things settled down to a state of anxious uncertainty. It was impossible to work. One was conscious all the time of undertone fear —fear about what might happen next. They had little accurate news of what was happening in Spain, mails were uncertain, and rumours alarming and contradictory. So she packed up at a few hours' notice, caught a ship that had come in from South America, and set out for England. They called at Portugal, and just missed the brief outbreak there on Monday, when the forts bombed two warships that had mutinied. A big cruising liner in the harbour had to turn tail hurriedly to get out of the line of fire. After that, it was good to come into Tilbury and see the London buses again, the feeling of safety that one still experiences in this country.

Hundreds of British people who have lived for years in Spain have been obliged to return, often leaving their homes and furniture, their business premises and their money. One couple who, were spending their honeymoon in the Balearic Isles were lucky to get away with their luggage, but their new motor car had to be left to its fate. Fate of the Balearics? *" These sunny isles in the Mediterranean have long been the haunt of artists, with the usual crop of retired admirals and others who have little money. Living was cheap and the English pound went a long way. Numbers of the artists who declined to leave at the first sign of trouble were later compelled to take ship hurriedly and leave their paintings —the work of years, their only asset — ■behind. There have been many rumours that both sides in Spain are offering the Balearic Isles to foreign countries in return for help. The Communists are said to have offered them to France, if she would supply them with . war material. And the insurgents, so it was said, have offered them to Italy, if she would give them her support. This small group of islands is of considerable strategic importance. If Italy had control of them it would go a long way towards establishing Italian domination in the Mediterranean, and would cut France off from Morocco. If they were held by France they would strengthen her position in these waters. Great Britain is vitally interested in keeping open this important sea link in her route to India, Australia and the East. Both sides in Spain deny that they have been offering to trade the' isles M for foreign support, but there is an uneasy feeling that some such offer has made. Meanwhile, British warships are standing by the Balearic Isles. There are also. Italian and German warships in the neighbourhood. The Spanish Government's, attempts to capture the isles failed, and she has since evacuated her troops, so they are at present, or the most important of them, held by the insurgents. Great Britain is likely to have a large say in the disposal of this group. An enemy established there might attempt to bar her way through the Mediterranean, and with her vast scattered Empire, in these unsettled times,' she cannot afford to take chances, especially as no one can predict the alignment of countries in a future war— who will be our allies and who our enemies.

"Itching for a Scrap."

In Ireland, General O'Duffy, who some time ago was head of the Blue Shirt brigade which cam© into conflict with Mr. de Valera and his supporters, and has since been a waning influence, has been trying to reorganise his forces to help his fellow Catholics in Spain. But Mr. de Valera does not look upon this move with a kindly eye. Who knows but the Spanish war may be ended before General O'Duffy's troops could bo landed, « and a well-organised and equipped army, with'time on its hands, might cause considerable trouble in Ireland. Mr. de Valera is having enough bother with the Irish Republican Army, and he seems reluctant to see another force, opposed to his policy, "itching for a scrap," and no convenient war on to oblige.

The town is seething with political rumours just now. With our. young Foreign Secretary, Mr. Anthony Eden, laid up with that childish complaint, chicken pox, and the Parliamentary veteran, Mr. Stanley Baldwin, stiil recuperating in the country and further extending his holiday, Mr. Lloyd George and his M.P. son and daughter all touring Germany and seeing the Hjtler regiiAe at Urst hand, and Sir Samuel Hoare running a watchful eye over naval establishments at Malta and elsewhere, the lesser lights are running Downing Street.

It now seems generally accepted that the next war. when—and if—it comes, will not lie a. fight between specific countries so much as a battle between political faiths. On one side will be the Communists, or "Reds" of many shades, and on the other the coloured shirt brigades, the Fascists and Nazis. ItUly and Germany have much in common, in so far as they are opposed to Bolshevism and Communism in any form. Russia, the centre and source of the Soviet idea ot Government, seems to be urging France to more extreme Left methods. . If the Spanish Government wins in the present contest Russia, France and Spain.will be allies. Germany and Italy, with their splendid new fighting forces and armaments (Itily has proved her strength) will lead 'the countries opposing this comlbination.

Great Britain and the Empire do not belong to either camp, they follow a middle course, the National Government including members from the Left and Right, though there is no one of extreme views.

I Russia is avowedly aiiti-Cliristian and I has endeavoured to stamp out all religi- | ous belief. The extremists in Spain are I following Russian methods closely in ; their campaign of terror directed against the Church, the murder of priests and bishops and nuns, and the burning of churches. There are many shades of "Left" politicians who do not share in or approve of these outrages, and who, indeed, show wisdom and judgment in their attitude towards constituted authority, whether religious or civil. Political Prophecies. Among the political prophecies concerning the ' strengthening of the National Government and making it proof against the machinations of Com- ' munist or Fascist influences is one that | Sir Walter Citrine may be invited to join the Government. His comment on the Russian purge, when seven men who were originally the driving force of the Bolshevik revolution in 1917 were executed, was: "I do not believe that force can achieve anything lastingly or permanently worth while." Mr. Ernest Bevin, general secretary of the Transport and General Workers' Union, is another mentioned as likely for inclusion in the National Government. These are both powerful men in the British Labour movement. It is also suggested that there will be invitations to Mr. Winston Churchill and Mr. Lloyd George. With all these vital figures added to the present Government, and representing as they do nearly every shade of political opinion, Great Britain would lie in a unique position. And there is no doubt that America shares the British democratic point of view, and to Communist and Fascist alike, says "a plague on both your Houses." Meanwhile, preparations for next j year's Coronation go ahead merrily, and the autumn dress shows have just begun. It takes a lot to throw England out of its stride.