18 DECEMBER 1915, Page 3

Mr. Bonar Law's speech bristles with wise things well said,

but we shall only deal with one of them—that passage in which he pointed out that the Coalition Government does not exist if it means only that half-a-dozen Unionists are in the Government and the Unionist Party is against the Government. He went on to tell his party that if he lost its confidence he could not continue a member of the Government. He and his colleagues were in the Government not merely as Members of the House of Commons, but as representatives of the Unionist Party. In spite of the Times, we believe that Mr. Boner Law has here stated the actual facts, and has wisely refused to talk smooth sophistries about the total disappearance of party.