The Prime Minister went on to express his amazement at
Mr. Clynes's defence of the Council of Action." Mr. Clynes was clearly nbt a democrat nor a constitutionalist. The theory that because we were said to have an unwritten constitution— which was not true—we could engraft a " Soviet " upon it was one of the most formidable challenges ever given to democracy. " Without hesitation, every Government must accept that challenge." The Labour Party knew perfectly well that the Government were striving for peace. " Of oourse, I know why it was done," he said of the " Council of Action "; " it was done just to impress the public with the idea that they did it "—that the Labour Party saved us from war. Yet that was absolutely untrue. The Government had always urged the Poles not to attack Russia, and had now warned them not to count on British support if they rejected reasonable terms. The " Council of Action " had injured the cause of peace by creating a new dread in the public mind and thus preventing the nation from judging events calmly.
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