The Week in Parliament Our Parliamentary Correspondent writes : There
is no doubt that the way to the heart of the House of Commons is for a Member to make a blunder" and then ask the leave of the Speaker to make a personal explanation. I believe that a man could get away with almost anything if only he agreed to make a" free and frank" explanation to the House of all the circumstances. It is the same with resignations. No statesman gets a louder cheer than when he has involved his late Cabinet colleagues - in serious embarrassment and rises from a back bench to announce why he is no longer of their number. Sir • Samuel Hoare was no exception to this odd convention. If he had returned in triumph after a great diplomatic coup he could not have received a louder ovation than when he made his apologia to a House more crowded than on any Budget day of recent times. His state- ment was certainly admirable in tone and temper, but I fancy that the Members of the Cabinet, staring rigidly in front of them on the Treasury Bench, were waiting for sonic word of apology and regret for his unexpected action in Paris and were surprised that it did not come. But his speech at the time deeply impressed the Ho-use, and when he sat down they gave him a great ovation.
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