Government Policy

Part of Orders of the Day — King's Speech – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 29 October 1947.

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Photo of Mr Clement Attlee Mr Clement Attlee , Stepney Limehouse 12:00, 29 October 1947

Yes, I gathered that. Of course, we shall do that. The hon. Member will, however, agree that, in our present condition, we have to export. I should like to deal with one or two points that were raised in the Debate by other Members besides those on the Opposition Front Bench. I do not intend to deal with many of them because, as I say, they were rather on the general questions that came up on the King's Speech than on the particular Amendment that we are now discussing. There were some interesting speeches made—by my hon. Friend the Member for Widnes (Mr. C Shawcross) and my hon. Friend the Member for North-West Hull (Mr. R. Mackay)—dealing with the wider aspects of this problem. We have never contended that, in dealing with the economic position of this country, we could get out of it entirely oblivious to what is happening in the rest of the world. We have said we must do our utmost, and that if we want to maintain and raise our standards here we must have world co-operation That is why my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary took the initiative, after General Marshall's speech, leading to the Paris discussions. That is why we have had many discussions with the overseas Dominions, and why in the King's Speech there are mentioned the provisions for developing the Colonial territories. I quite agree with my hon. Friends who raised these points that they are of immense importance, but, as I say, they were raised on the general Debate rather than on this particular Amendment.

But there are other points made by the right hon. Gentleman the Leader of the Opposition. He attacked me on India, and he said, or implied, that I was responsible for the slaughter in India.