Orders of the Day — EMERGENCY POWERS (DEFENCE) (No. 2) BILL.

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at on 6 August 1940.

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Photo of Mr Aneurin Bevan Mr Aneurin Bevan , Ebbw Vale

The answer must be a purely empirical one. You have to make a distinction between a large land mass like France and a comparatively small island like Britain. If a landing is made in this country, everything will be disturbed in a very wide area. I submit that in practice what will happen is a modification of our system of justice, all over the country. The question of invasion is irrelevant to the Bill. There is nothing in the Bill about invasion. This new system is to be brought into operation when the Executive think it desirable. The Executive will think it desirable, all over the country, if an effective landing is made in any part of the country. We can reach one or two reasonable conclusions. In the first place, it is absurd to speak about zoning the country. In the second place, it is repugnant to this House, and to the country as a whole, that there should be general courts-martial. Thirdly, there should be a modification of our system of justice in order to deal with the emergency that might lie immediately ahead, and that modification ought to come before the House in the form of a Bill, and not in the form of regulations, as is suggested. Consequently, the right hon. Gentleman would, I believe, be meeting the wishes of the House and of the country if he withdrew this Bill and introduced immediately Bill of a more elaborate kind.

It may be suggested that there is not time. The answer has aready been made. This contingency has been seen coming for two months. The Executive have had all that time, and it is extremely unfair to ask the House of Commons to discharge its duty in a hurry in this way when the Executive themselves have been so dilatory. If in the next few days an emergency does arise, there is sufficient provision under the existing law to deal with it. There is no reason why we should be rushed into legislation which is so repugnant to our instincts and to the desires of the country. I hope that the Government will not think that our opposition is captious, that we are making it for the sake of making it. We are very anxious to carry the Government with us in this matter, and I am sure that they are anxious to carry the House with them. It would be most unfortunate if they insisted upon the Second Reading being carried to-day and then had a Committee stage—because the Home Secretary has promised the House of Commons a Committee stage as though it were a concession—and then we had so many Amendments down, in order to try to make the Bill workable and agreeable, that it would take far longer than if the Home Secretary had taken the Bill back and, after consultations, had brought in a Bill that would meet our wishes. I hope that the Home Secretary will not feel that it would mean any loss of dignity on his part to withdraw this Bill and to bring in a more satisfactory one. It is because we see the need for modifications in the whole of our system of justice that we

ask him to bring in such a Bill, and we will help to make such a Bill a workable Measure.