Protectionists for industry but not for food, hostile to France. Ditto, but “Hats off to France.” Anti-Bolshevik Free Traders like Mr. Churchill. Free Traders friendly to Russia. Any of the above may or may not be in frantic opposition to an imaginary Capital Levy upon everybody’s savings. Labourite Free Traders weak on the Capital Levy. Labourite Free Traders strong on the Capital Levy. Labourites strong on the Capital Levy, but weak on Free Trade. All of the above may be weak or strong or hostile about the present League of Nations. All of the above may be strong for the new education, or they may be anti-educational. And the poor mutt of a voter in any particular constituency has to indicate his opinion of things by voting for one of three gentlemen or ladies selected by the three local political clubs. As candidates they will do as little as possible in the way of positive statements and pledges. They will engage chiefly in hostile noises against the other parties. We shall never get any clear indication from this election upon any issue of any importance at all. We shall get no clear mandate either to deal with France or submit to France. We shall get no clear indication of the feelings of the people about Protection or Free Trade. We shall have only a slight measure of the panic about the Capital Levy caused by its misrepresentation. The thing is silly. It is a monstrous foolery in the face of the needs and dangers of the present time. The new Parliament will be just as feeble and insecure as the old Parliament, just as uncertain of popular support, and just as incapable of taking a strong line in the tragic pass to which British affairs are coming. XIII THE RE-EMERGENCE OF MR. LLOYD GEORGE 8.12.23 That muddle-headed process, the General Election, is over in Great Britain; the votes have been counted and the results are out--and everybody now is free to speculate what it was that the British Demos was trying to say to the world.