Evening star., 1947-02-10
Crisis in Britoin

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gravity of the electricity shutdown
in Britain. Forced by an acute coal
shortage in the midst of an unusu-
ally severe winter. it may continue
in effect for as long as two weeks.
Besides imposing a daytime loss OF
power facilities or homes, shops,
restaurants, Office buildings, thea
tiers, ETC., 1t means that q vast seq
ment of industry will, be paralyzed
and millions thrown out OF work at
moment when the British are des-
perately ine need of more and more
production to avoid an economic
collapse.
The critical nature of the situa-
ton is emphasized in the darkest
terms by the leaders of all Britain's
political groups. Anthony Eden,
speaking for the Conservative Oppo-
sition, says there has been nothing
like it since the grim days OF the
general strike twenty years ago.
Emmanuel Shinwell, Prime Minister
Attlee's Minister of Fuel and Power,
declares fatty that unless domestic
and industrial consumers cooperate
fully in the emergency, the coun-
try will suffer complete disaster"
within fortnight. Indeed, according
to Attorney General Sir Hartley
Shawcross, If the crisis is not over
come, the Labor government will fall
and there will be an end to any idea
Of socialism in our time"
Sir Hartley's suggestion Is not
overdrawn. Should the crisis deepen
and get out of hand, the Opposition
might call vote of censure and
force a general election. Right now
the situation Is being blamed chiefly
on Mr.. Shinwell, but the Attlee gov
ernment as a whole is in a politically
unenviable position. Figures indi-
cate that it has succeeded in in
creasing coal production since ma
tionalizing the mines, but this is
overshadowed by evidence of serious
bureaucratic fumbling and marked
lack of foresight in building up
backlogs of fuel to meet at least the
minimum needs of this winter. In
the circumstances, even though the
same emergency might have de-
veloped under the Conservatives,
the Labor government conceivably
could be forced out.
AS Sir Hartley declares, however,
the all-important thing at stake in
Britain's crisis is not the fate Of this
or that political party but "the whole
prosperity and future Of the coun-
try" The British must export to
live. They must sell goods of all
kinds to all parts of the world in
order to buy the vast quantities of
food, raw materials and other i'm
ports they need to support their
domestic economy. To do this they
must produce as never before in
their history. Terribly hard hit by
the war, handicapped by a serious
manpower shortage and suffering
from the psychological impact of
long years of privation and self
denial, they face touch-and- go
situation under the best of condi-
tions. Considering all this, their
current industrial paralysis-caus-
ing a dangerous loss of precious
output-represents a blow of the
first magnitude.
1t does not seem too much to say
that the situation thus adds up to
a kind Of economic Dunkirk for the
British. All free men must hope
that they will surmount 1t, Just as
they did the military one. Other
wise, should their economy cave in,
the consequences would be far
reaching throughout the world, par
ticularly in terms of the political and
economic balance of power between
democracy and totalitarianism un-
der the developing new peace system.