1941-02-21 — Page 1

At Bay:

BALKAN ALARMS The Lesson Of France

Wisest attitude to adopt

а

an

regarding developments in

On the morning of June 15, 1940, was on the Monday when Marshal the same game, though they play | It could have been effected by a the Balkans is to wait France was a democracy, a demo- Petain asked for an armistice, for it in a different way. If you have treaty between the two countries

Inerney at bay. It had a democratie | they had been deprived of the aspirations to form one of the new

and such a treaty is made by vir- upon factual events.

responsible. government,

to an power to resist and of their liber- ruling class or clique, you may tue of the Royal Prerogative the wealth of rumour, elected parliament, and, as its ties by an old soldier, a President, perhaps not unnaturally prefer without reference to Parliament.

handful of politicians. the Nazi rules of the political The conjecture and guesswork allies and the world thought, that and

Royal Prerogative is a warning to game and boast of its "efficiency" {aníachronism which is extremely there is so much that is government was fighting a war in These events are

defence of France and democracy | ourselves; we need to consider and achievements in war, con-effective for preventing demo- against two Reynaud, had only a few days before proclaimed, apparently with the approval of the repre- sentatives of the French people, that France would fight to the end and that, if need be, the govern- ment would continue the war from

serve.

totalitarian Powers,

The bend of the government, M.

·By Leonard Woolf

quests, ruin, misery, persecution cratic control. It is particularly and injustice; but ordinary per-

or

plainly suspect, and more that needs to be accepted with the most cautious re- Impulse when the Bulgarian Turkish de claration was announced)

whether we have adequate de- only of democracy, not was to jump to the conclu- the colonies. On June 16 France fences

ceased to be a democracy or to against the German farmies, but sion that Turkey had suc-!

hight for democracy. M. Reynaud against the kind of internal poli- cumbed to outside pres-resigned and Marshal Petain, antreal transaction viich has des-which the Petain peace warns us.

octogenaria French version of sures. On the face of it,

Field-Marshal Hindenburg, form- there appears to be con- a government of military men

and Right-Wing politicians.

An

and

flict between Turkish pro-armistice was asked for in such a fessions and an agree way that any further resistance ment which would seem was made impossible and France was placed entirely in German to immobilise policy in a

power. The obligations of France Bulgarian crisis which, to her ally were ignored. The for the moment, did not terms dictated by Germany

Italy were accepted. The Cham- directly affect Turkish

ber and Senate were not summnon- territory. Britain anded or consulted and we are now Greece have neither of told them apparently found anything in the declara- tion with which to find dis- fault, yet there are turbing rumours.

that the Constitution of France is "revised"

other - in words it is made authoritarian.

the

All this has been done by a little group of men into whose hands "power"

to obey the power Gertnany and coerce France-bas shipped by a political transaction conducted in secrecy behind

Marshal Petain has des- troyed French democracy in war much the same way as Marshal Hindenburg destroyed German de- mocracy in peace.

scenes.

Democracy, we have said, was

troyed it in France.

Internal Defence

Not Only Danger

of

sons, whose destiny under these dangerous at the present moment, modern despotisms must be that for it is the instrument by which of obedient subjects, a chorus of in a crisis a Petain peace could worshippers, cannon-fodder,

made here untouchables, will, unless they are constitutionally be imbecile, prefer the evils which against the will both of parlia- they know in democracy and the

ment and people. By virtue of the democratic politician,

Royal Prerogative the Crown en- joys the sole right of declaring making peace and war and of The immobilisation of parlia-treaties. The king acts, of course ment is not the only danger of

under our constitution only on We call Britain and France demo- the advice of a minister, but, in esacies, but the government the case of a treaty or the making both countries has always been

of peace, this would be no safe- imperfectly democratic, and many The internal defence of demo of the faults and failures ascribed guard in practice of the control of to democracy in them have real parliament or the people. In a cracy depends largely upon freely been due to the fact that it speech and a free press, but also did not exist.

Petain succeeded crisis power might pass from the Reynaud and made an armistice hands of a Reynaud into that of to a great extent upon political which in fact was a peace.

Petain here just as it did in methods and constitutional law. that action he determined

France without any reference to It is easy to over-esti ate their fate of France, of the French Em-

pire, and of the French people for parliament and the British Petain Importance, but it is fatal to un-

years, possibly for eternity. The could, by means of the Royal Pre-· der-estimate it. The idea that transaction which put him in that

rogative, make peace and a treaty, him the ap- there is anything new in Nazism position and gave

palling power to determine the ignoring the House of Commons. or Fascism, as a method of gov-lute of millions was accomplished All this would be strictly con- ernment, is a delusion selulously in secret by perhaps a dozen

stitutional, known and unknown men. The encouraged by propaganda. They fact that he had formed a govern- are the oldest form of tyranny ment in this way gave him the seizure of power and government light and power to make peace by a clique. No democratic in-

or

—

are a

By the

with Germany on any terms stitutions

constitution

which he personally chose to ac- 100 per cent.

guarantee against pt.

the seizure of a coup d'etat or power by a clique, a Hitler, Mussolini, or a Petain, but they are capable of making such a seizure difficult or, if it does take place, precarious.

That is why

de-

Attempted Breach

in The danger to democracy this

has constitutional practice long been recognised. In 1924, for instance, the Labour Party made a first attempt to make a breach in the system by deciding that all treaties should be laid on the table it is essential to keep the funda- It is a disquieting fact that, al-

of the House for 21 days before mental institutions of democrati-though we call ourselves a control working during war, even

mocracy, our constitutional system ratification. It is significant that though they may have certain di-makes it possible for exactly the the new practice was abolished as advantages. They are an insur- same thing to happen "constitu-

soon as a Conservative govern- ance against the consolidation of onally" in this country. Demo-

into came

and, ment

power, arbitrary

cratic control and liberties are al- after power

v coup d'etut. Organs of popular govern- ways precarious if the

govern- though again restored by the La- ment have frequently been able to nient or executive are enabled by bour Party in 1929, it was again thwart or smother, in its

the political system irresponsibly early days, a coup d'etat, but once a

to initiate a policy of great na- abolished by the National govern- tional importance, to act upon it ment. There is much to be said without mandate, and so to pre- for the Labour Party's innovation,

For the moment, there is an absence of clue to the real outcome of the diplomatic battle now be- ing waged in the Balkans. Only one thing is patent- ly obvious, that Germany is engaged in an intense war of nerves which may have unfortunate conse- we believe, determined to defend have consolidated their seizure of quences should morale their independence and their poli- power, and abolished the machin-sent Parliament and people with tical liberties. But so were theery of popular control, it is terr!- break where it is least de- vast majority of Frenchmen onbly difficult to unseat them. sirable.

at bay in France on June 15, it is at bay to-day in Britain and the British Empire.

vast these

The

majority of the people of are, small group of determined

islands and of the Empire

June 15, yet on June 17 they were confronted by a falt accompli; no one now knows or will ever know

what the will of the French people

age,

men

a fait accompli, with a situation but something more is required to irretrievable when

once created. meet the dangers of the immediate It is, no doubt, essential that a situation. It is essential to abolish responsible government must be the power of a minister to make given the power to govern; the

the

at the least,

danger of getting weak govern-peace by means of the Royal Pre- After the events in

reference to ment if the legislature attempts rogative without Africa, and the powerful

to usurp the function of an execu parliament. This change would re- The first line of defence against tive is insisted upon ad nauseam resistance of Greece, how-

this kind of authoritarian coup by practical politicians and politi-quire legislation, for it would be ever, it would be astonish- a grandiose pact "lacing is parliament

In practice for a necessary to enact; a popularly elect cal theorists. ing if awe of the Axis had in" Fujiyama" that failed ed assembly. It is vital that the hundred years of European his-that the Executive should have

House of Commons should under tory the danger has been the other not substantially dimin- even to deflect American no circumstances be placed, like way round. In all democracies no power to conclude an armistice ished.

policy; at a "new order" the French Chamber, in cold stor the difficulty has not been to pre- or malte peace without a resolu- Whatever happens it must vent undue interference with the tion of the House of Commons in Europe that still will remain in active session, main-executive, but to prevent After the Brenner con-

not crystallise.

taining the ultimate responsibili- government contriving to evade authorising such action. ty of the government to itself, all responsibility and control. We ference last March, Hitler

Formally the transaction which are one of the oldest and most revealed that he had at To recite these difficul-fed to the transference of power stable of the "democracies," yet it powers the his command a military ties which Axis policy has from the Reynaud to the Petain is astonishing what

government in France may have British Government possesses or machine of appalling ef- encountered is not to deny been constitutional," just as was claims to possess. No one, for in-

It will, of course, be said that immense ficiency, and Mussolini, the

strength the transaction in Germany be starice, seemed to think it remark-

the this is not the moment for con- his "good friend," basked which the Axis still can tween Hmdenburg and Hitler. But able the other day when

the consolidation of arbitrary government offered the Reynaud stitutional revision. On the con-

what apparently was in both cases made possible amounted

of their

in reflected glory. But now wield. Both Italy and Ger- power in the hands of a few men government to federal union be- trary, no time could be more ap- Il Duce's attempts to many have great power- only by the previous destruction tween Britain and France, and did propriate. We are fighting this

to parlia- shine of his own light power that may be exer- or improbilisation of all the organs so without reference have proved sad failures, cised in any one of a num-and machinery of decency and war and that the situation was democracy are at bay. It has often. and machinery of democratic or ment. It is true that we were at war for democracy, and we and Yet the proposal could been proclaimed lately that we his bedraggled banners ber of directions with un- democratie organs of government critical bear such names as predictable results. Never- are no panacea against the poll- easily have been put before par- must lead a European revolution

a few tical stupidity of the human race; llament in the space of

against authoritarian despotism Koritza, Sidi Barrani, theless, the fact remains they have their own peculiar de hours, and the offer, if it had been

have been far liberty, Democracy is in its pre- Bardia, Benghazi, Taranto that there is failure as fects and disadvantages. War and made publicly with parliamentary for the restoration of democratic

Nazi propaganda have during the sanction would and Genoa; his troops, well as success written last ten months made the most of more impressive and might have sent plight because for years de- his 'planes and his ships down to the Axis account; those defects and there is among had a profound effect in France. mocrats have left the initiative

But the government preferred to entirely in the hands many people at the present time a have been outmanoeuvred the aura of inevitability very bitter feeling against poll act without reference to parlia- enemies. If we are to be show and outfought; he has that once seemed to invest telang" who are frequently con- meat and people and considered Nazis and Fascists, we must show fused with democracy. These peo- that it had the constitutional pow that we mean what we say and been reduced in a few every move of the partners ple, often unconsciously influenced ers so to act, although the offer have the courage of our democra

all those who stand with us for months from the position has been dispelled. The by anti-democratic propaganda, entailed one of the greatest retic convictions. We ourselves and

do not see that they will not get volutions in our history.

liberty will gain strength if we of a victorious partner to world has been reminded, rid of politicians by getting rid of

show that even in the present crisis we are determined---to that of humble suppliant. particularly by II Duce, parliament and democracy. Hit- Ier, Goebbels, Goering, Petalë,

strengthen our defences against For his part, Der Fuehrer that these two men are, Baudouin, Laval, Franco, and The government was probably, the new despotin, not only of looks moodily at an Eng-but men-and all men are Stalin are just as much politicians correct in thinking that it had the the sea, on Briti soil, and in the BA Stresemann, Reynaud, Blum, power to unite Britain and France air, but also in cur parliament, land yet unconquered; at fallible.

Churchill and Attlee. They play without the consent of parliament. our laws, and our constitut

An Anachronism