FUTURE COURSE OF BRITAIN

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26514, 31 August 1951, Page 2

FUTURE COURSE OF BRITAIN

CANON GREEN SPEAKS TO TRAVEL CLUB

Canon Bryan Green, Rector of Birmingham, was the guest speaker at a meeting of the Travel Club in Christchurch yesterday. His subject was, “What is the future of Britain?”

“I am not a prophet,’’ he said, “but I think there are three possibilities that may occur in Britain. First, a third- world war may break out in the immediate future, and Britain may win the war. Another possibility is that Britain may lose the war; and a third is that a policy of containment may be pursued, thereby holding back the threat of war.” Canon Green said he did not feel that the people of Britain seriously thought that a world war was imminent. If atom bombs devastated British ports during a war, England would starve. If Britain lost the next war. Russian Communism would attack not only the body but also the soul of the country. If a democracy really believed this, it must realise that no sacrifice was too great in order to avoid war, said Canon Green Under a policy of containment, the causes on which Communism bred must be eliminated; underprivileged nations must be built up; and people in privileged countries "must adopt the difficult policy of reeducating their people and by steady sacrifice bring other nations to their own standard of living, if possible without lowering their own standard. The so-called welfare State had come to stay, and because of the modern complexity of life, it was necessary, said Canon Green. It did, however, create three dangers: (1) it encouraged the decline of a sense of personal responsibility and bred men and women who could take responsibility but' would not do so; (2) it created a love of power in a number of little bureaucrats; and (3) it gave a sense of frustration to individuals, and tended to destroy human individuality. To combat these evils, three Christian principles must be implemented, continued Canon Green. They were the idea that every person was important in the sight of God; the fact that, with privileges, responsibility must be accepted; and the principle that any usurpation of power should be challenged, especially by the churches. Canon Green added that he was convinced that all Christians must unite to defeat the menace of Communism.

Songs were sung by the Rev. Walter Robinson, who was accompanied by Mrs J. C. Cullman. Mesdames M. H. Godby and Cecil Wood were the hostesses. The president (Sir Joseph Ward) presided. Many overseas guests, including Mrs Green and three members of the British Commonwealth Theatre Company, were entertained at the meeting.