Colonial Office.

Part of Orders of the Day — Supply. – in the House of Commons at on 19 June 1936.

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Photo of Mr Herbert Morrison Mr Herbert Morrison , Hackney South

So has the Noble Lord, who need not appear to be so virtuous. He has his opinion. He looks at the facts and comes to conclusions, and so do I, but really, the Noble Lord should not pose as the only impartial person in this matter. I said that I did not like the Royal Commission, and I do not like it. I was not expressing an opinion upon Arab versus Jew. I believe that when Governments have a responsibility to govern, they should govern. I have seen too much of the business of governments not governing and taking refuge in a Royal Commission. The Government know all about Palestine. The Government in Jerusalem, surely, knows all about Palestine. I am not convinced that it is a really impartial Commission. I have seen some of these impartial Commissions; they were so impartial that they were totally ignorant of what they were doing. I am very doubtful about the Royal Commission. We are going to hang up policy and make people feel that nothing should be done in the meantime. You should examine the facts as you know them to exist, come to conclusions and govern the country, and accept the responsibility of government. I am very doubtful about the Legislative Council, too, at this stage. If you want to experiment in training the people in self-government—and I am all for it—why start at the wrong end? The capacity of this country for self-government was built up first of all not upon Parliamentary, but upon local government. Why do you not extend local government in Palestine? Why do you not develop it? The Tel Aviv Municipal Corporation is in the position that its estimates have to be approved by the Government in Jerusalem.[Interruption.] Does the Noble Lord wish to intervene?