What Is Needed For 'Another Elizabethan Age’

'Another Elizabethan Age’

U AS there not something symbolic T about the events which occurred about 4 a.m. Green ich Mean Time, on Tuesday, ibruary 5?

While George VI, “gentlest of our onarchs,” passed away in his jep, the young Elizabeth, with her ilor Consort by her side, was anding in a high place in East nca, watching with fascination e prowlings of the unpredictable Id beasts in the jungle below.

King George has gone from the •itain he loved so much and served faithfully. Queen Elizabeth II ounts the ancient Throne and 3ks out over a jungle-world rough which are creeping some >rrible things, to menace our fety and the structure of our filisation. Beside her are the ung Philip, from whom we hope r much, and the old and very wise mrchill, who saved her Empire ce, and may do so again.

The constitutional set-up is com rting; but the outlook is such as make all except stout hearts ail. By our weakness since VJ iy, we have released into the >rld forces which are completely il, and which now threaten to stroy us.

ST the past fortnight, wherever politicians babble and news papers chant, we have heard a w theme. Britain attained her

greatest strength and glory under her Queens: maybe she will do so again.

What strange thinking! As if the status of a nation were a matter of luck, or of a happy relationship between the monarch and the bene ficent gods!

Britain is in her present economic mess because (a) she spent nearly all her enormous, accumulated wealth in World War 11, and (b) she surrendered her government, in the vital post-war years, to an array of untrained Socialist plan ners, who were pitifully incapable of discharging the unprecedented task of rebuilding British economy and firmly controlling the British Empire.

The Socialists are discharged and discredited: new men, with a differ ent outlook, have taken over; but, in the intervening years, British in competence, plus British failure to co-operate effectively with United States in world affairs, has per mitted the Bolshevisation of half Europe and most of Asia. Britain, before she can give herself effec tively to her overwhelming domestic problems, now must first ensure her security.

If the British way of life is to be maintained, there are enormous tasks to be undertaken at home.

But, for the present, there is neither sufficient money nor time for such

tasks. All our national resources are needed for our own protection.

IF ever the spiritual strength of a people was tested, it is being tested to-day in the British Com monwealth. The real character of Russia’s Cold War now is quite plain. While they avoid a total fighting war, the Reds are taking advantage of the freedom of our way of life, and of our institutions to honeycomb our political and economic structures, to foment quarrels and disturbances, to en courage inferior peoples to rise against us, to create lack of con fidence in our leaders, our ideals and ourselves.

These processes are going on all over the world. We of the Pacific see them most clearly now in Asia and the Middle East. At this moment, we are wasting our military and economic strength in Korea, in Indo-China, Malaya, Per sia, Egypt and Tunisia; while recent anti-British demonstrations show that the peoples of Burma, India, Ceylon, Pakistan, Indonesia and Iraq are turning against us.

Behind the events in every one of these countries is the cunning hand and the poisoned propaganda of the Muscovite Red.

LONG ago, the Americans realised that the only way to stop this Cold War, and ensure peace for the world, is to arm completely, and challenge Russia to a test of strength; and the United States is arming, and is forcing the other nations to arm.

But —let us have the truth.

Among all those Western Democracies now arming under American leadership, the only people really showing high spirit and resolute demeanour, readiness for the ultimate challenge, are the Americans themselves. So far, the British masses— who really have more to lose than the Americans, and who should be their natural allies in this world crisis—will not face up to the alternatives which confront them. They must either resist the Russian attempt to destroy their personal freedom and way of life, or submit to the Muscovite plan to fasten Communism upon the nations.

So they hope that the Russians may be scared into inactivity by America’s possession of a thousand atom bombs; or that Joe Stalin’s death will set Moscow fighting; or that the Czechs and Poles will revolt—or that some divine interven-

tion in favour of their new, young Queen will save them from further struggle and sacrifice. Sure, they are arming. But the enthusiasm of the British countries for the defence of their realm (witness the pathetic advertisements of the Australian Government, for Services recruits) reminds one somehow of the moral condition of France, at the out break of World War 11.

The British people of that other Elizabethan age, and of the Vic torian age, had a will to work, and considerable intestinal fortitude, and a reluctance to depend for their freedom on half-understood political nostrums, and some readiness to fight. If we are really to have another Elizabethan age, we shall have to develop—in the Islands Territories, as in Australia and England and the Colonies—some of those old-fashioned national traits.