Confidence In Churchill Entrenched More Deeply

Northern Advocate, 9 May 1941, Page 6

Confidence In Churchill Entrenched More Deeply

LONDON, May 8. MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS, AFTER THE m DEBATE ON THE VOTE OF CONFIDENCE IN THE GOVERNMENT, EXPRESSED THE OPINION THAT IN HIS REPLY MR. CHURCHILL MADE ONE OF HIS MOST EFFECTIVE SPEECHES, AND ENTRENCHED HIMSELF EVEN MORE DEEPLY IN THE CONFIDENCE OF THE HOUSE.

After the announcement of the result of the voting, members left their seats and lined up along the Chamber to the exit, and loudly cheered Mr. Churchill as he walked from his seat.

The three members who voted against the resolution, “that this House approves the policy of His Majesty’s Government in sending help to Greece, and declares its confidence that our operations in the Middle East, as in all other theatres of war, will be pursued by the Government with the utmost vigour,” were Doctor A. Salter (Labour— Bermondsey), Mr. D. N. Pritt (Socialist—Hammersmith), and Mr. W. Gallacher (Communist —West Fife).

I.L.P. Left In Air

Messrs. J. Maxton and J. McGovern, Independent Labour members, representing Glasgow constituencies, who forced the division, were named as tellers, and, as Mr. Campbell Stephen, the remaining member of the Independent Labour Party, was absent, the I.L.P. was unable to register a single vote against the Government. In the course of his reply, Mr. Churchill said, in reference to the battle of the Atlantic, that the test of success was the number of tons of imports to Britain in any given quarter, in any given year. “At present,” he said, “we are maintaining the great progress that has been made in meeting losses by new building, and repairs, and accelerating the turn-about, but there is still much to be done. Must Look to U.S. “With the continued flow of assistance which already we have been promised by the United States, we can probably maintain our minimum essential traffic during 1941. As for 1942, we must look for an immense construction of merchant ships by the United States.

“This is already in full swing, and within the last month I received an assurance of the construction of merchant vessels by the United States, which, added to our own programme of building and repair, should see us through the year. The year 1943, if we have to endure it as a year of war, will present easier problems. The United States patrol took a considerable part of the Atlantic Ocean off British hands, but a good deal more help was needed. It was not for a British Minister to forecast, still less to prescribe, the policy of the United States. Hitler Fears America. “When a mighty democracy of 130,000.000 gets on the move one can only await the full employment of this vast, psychological gravitation and its translation into the physical field,” Mr. Churchill said. “Anyone can see Hitler’s fear of the United States in the fact that he has not declared war upon them long ago.”

Mr. Churchill said he had never underrated the gravity of the difficulties and problems facing Britain. He felt she was fighting for her life from day to day and hour to hour.

He recalled that ft was nearly a year ago that France collapsed, and he spoke of Hitler’s expectations then, adding that Hitler little knew that 10 months later he would be appealing to the much-tired German people to prepare themselves for war, in 1942. Mr. Churchill added amid loud cheering: “When I look back upon the perils which have been overcome, the great mountainous waves through which the gallant ship has driven, when I remember also all that has gone wrong, I feel sure we have no need to fear the tempest. Let it roar, let it rage, we shall come through!”