The Labour Party no doubt knows its business, but its
failure to elect the Minister for Commonwealth Relations to a place on its executive will seem temost people surprising. There is no doubt an explanation. Mr. Philip Noel-Baker has not been a great deal in the public eye of late, for good reasons. As Commonwealth Minister he has had to deal with questions—notably those concerning Eire and India—so delicate that public speeches about them had to be abjured, and so important that when they came up in the House of Commons they were handled by the Prime Minister himself. It is safe to say that the success achieved in both cases was due in large measure to the patient and systematic preparation of the ground by the Minister for Commonwealth Relations. But of that the public, including the rank-and-file of the Labour Party, has known little or nothing. Years ago Dr. Nansen, with whom Mr. Noel-Baker had worked intimately in connection with the refugee and repatriation enterprises of the League of Nations, said to me : "I never knew anyone like Philip for being wining to do all the work and let some- one else take the credit." Such altruism unfortunately has its penalties in a world constituted as this particular world is.
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