dated October 4, 1951: To arm or to progress:

That appeared to be the dilemma confronting Britain, and the Editorials observed: ``Commenting on the British election, The Economist said the two principal parties appeared firmly united that the electors should not be allowed to pronounce on the real issues facing the British people. Britain is up against a major economic and political problem, that rearmament to the tune of £4,700 million cannot be reconciled with the present standard of life and the cost of the social services introduced by Labour. The Conservatives too are for retaining the bulk of the social services. On the Labour side, only Aneurin Bevan's group has openly discussed the full implications of the economic dilemma. In a pamphlet called `Going Our Way', Bevanites castigated the conservatism of the trade union leaders.

``To everyone's surprise, Bevanites have been re-elected to the Labour Party Executive. Mrs. Castle was elected at the expense of Defence Minister, Mr. Shinwell, and Bevan's men got bigger votes than many Labour ministers. Mr. Bevan has claimed that the controversy he aroused has helped change the political climate in favour of Labour. He said that if people did not see their view- point strongly expressed by responsible leaders, they lose faith in the party, but if they see their views influencing party policy, their fidelity strengthens. The Beven policy is the reverse of the one advocated by The Economist. It calls for a slowing down of rearmament, and a more conciliatory foreign policy towards the Soviets. ...If the Tories win, Bevanite policy may become that of the Opposition, but it is not so certain that it will be sponsored if Labour wins the election. If the latter happens, it is just possible that Mr. Bevan might claim the premiership, as Mr. Davies, Liberal leader, suggests. The next three weeks of political campaigning in Britain should throw more light on this new trend in politics. But one desirable result should be to give the next Government, whether Tory or Labour, a larger majority than the present Government enjoys.''

West Germany admitted to GATT

The two-year-old Republic of West Germany, with its capital in Bonn, was admitted as a full member of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) at the meeting of the Conference held in Geneva on the 1st. With her admission, GATT's membership rose to 31.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Miscellaneous
Previous : Sages' untiring efforts for prevalence of peace
Next     : Weather