Labour and War

Hutt News, Volume 13, Issue 23, 15 November 1939, Page 2

Labour and War

Broadcasting to this British ua. tiott on "Labour and War" on' October 11, Mr. Attlee, Leader of Che Opposition in the House of Commons, declared that Hitler "will l ot fool Britain." Here are some extracts from the broadcast:— "The peoples of the British Commonwealth and Empire, with our Allies France and Poland, have been at war now for over a month, but in reality the war started long before September of this. year. "The world passed from peace to war as soon as lawless aggression became ,the recognised method by which ambitious rulers could achieve their ends. "Step by step lawlessness spread over the world, just as crime would spread in a community if no effective measures were taken to ..top it." # * * * < "Ordinary men and women demand and demand rightly, that they should have some measure of security in order that they may live their own lives free from Tear . . "... In fighting this war we are not seeking domination, nor are we concerned with our national inter-, ests only. We are fighting to get' security for ordinary men and women in all countries, including Germany." * • * • "The freedom, happiness and prosperity of the '-people of other countries are our concern. The death 'of liberty and the enslavement of the people in any country are our loss. We disregard them at our own peril. "The story of the last eight years has shown how aggression and the result of force, allowed to succeed in countries far away, has resulted eventually in threat to ourselves. ... "... Hitlertsm cares nothing for good faith. Promises have proved time and again to be worthless. "In the everyday business of life no one would think for a moment of taking any action in reliance on the promise of a man with the record of Herr Hitler." * * * * j "Hitlerism denies ail rights to; the individual. It destroys every-! where the rights of free speech, of j conscience and of citizenship. j "It spurns all the spiritual values ; which we hold dear, ana substitutes for them blind obedience to the will of a dictator. It runs counter to everything for which the British people stand. "More than this, it is opposed to all that is best in our Western civilisation which has been built up the precepts of Christianity and on the splendid heritage of the great thinkers of the past of all countries, to which Germans have made so rich a contribution." * * * » "I know that the people of this country are ready to take any opportunity of ending the present war, provided that we can get real and lasting peace without sacrificing the cause for which we entered it. If Herr Hitler wants peace he must show it by deeds. "The abandonment of the method of aggression is the first requisite for peace. Without that, any peace will be built on sand. "In any peace settlement there are many difficult questions to be faced, but they can be solved given good will. "I .believe that no lasting peace can be established without a closer unity among the European peoples, economic co-operation, disarmament and collective security. "The British Commonwealth of Nations shows how it is possible to have unity with diversity, and to bring together peoples of different races and languages while preserving the freedom of all . . . "... In the tragedies of war and in the trials and discomforts which accompany it let us remember that what we are trying to do is to get peace and security for the millions of decent, kindly people in all countries who are the victims of evil and ruthless men. "Let us see that we do not ourselves become infected with the evil passions which war brings, and that when peace comes we ensure that it is a peace of justice." * * * * In the "London Daily Herald" of October 9, Mr. Arthur Greenwood, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons, contributed an article, "Hitler has spoken, but his word means nothing!""Now that Hitler has declared himself, it is as well to remind ourselves of the march of events. "China, Abyssinia, Spain, Austria, Czecho-Slovakia and Memelland were all the victims of aggression before the outbreak of the present war. "Long before Hitler invaded Poland, European, and, indeed, world opinion, was sick at heart of 'smash and grab' raids. Europe was littered not only with broken nations, but with Hitler's broken promises. . . . "... When Poland was attacked, in spite of our firm assertions, Hit-

ler still thought that he could pursue his old technique and 'get away with it' without challenge. He found his mistake too late. Not only was patience exhausted, but pride and honour were at stake. What was even more important and vital, the threat to liberty everywhere was so obvious it had to be contested. "In defiance of British and French declarations, and despising democratic opinion throughout the world, Hitler made the war . . . "... Peace can come, and come quickly when Hitler realises that the contributions great and noble Germans—and others—have brought to the advance of freedom in the world are not to be destroyed, but must be allowed to flourish. . . "... What he said last Friday must be assessed in the light of past words frv 1 deeds. He spoke as a victor to tlie vanquished in words which the world did not and ctfnnot trust. "He assumes that the misery he has caused is right and that it will be forgotten. The crucifixion of the human spirit is the price of its liberty. "But it will not be forgotten. It is the outward expression of mankind's determination—at whatever cost—to keep what is holy and makes life worth while."