Item 01: Ellis Ashmead-Bartlett diary, 1915-1917 - Page 203
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[Page 203]
[them]selves the Conservative Party. His speech contained more lies about the war to the square inch than any statement I have ever heard, but such is the ignorance and apathy of the Ho use at the present time that the majority of the falsehoods passed as the gospel truth withthe rank and file. I bitterly regretted not being in the House to pull his statement to pieces. He was followed by Carson, who got up and delivered the most scathing and most terrible denunciation of his late colleagues imaginable. He knew little of the facts of the war, and might have made his speech much stronger, which was extremely crude and ill-delivered, but every word breathed hatred, fanaticism, and fury. He did not hesitate to expose Cabinet secrets, and declared that he had resigned becuase the Cabinet could never make up its mind to anything.
Such a scene has never been witnessed in the House ofCommons before, and England is the only country in which such domestic quarrels could be ezposed in the middle of a life anddeath struggle, like the present. During his speech the whole Cabinet sat with bowed heads like a lot of criminals, being condemned to death. But I suppose that nothing will follow and that it willall end in mere words. I dined at the Ritz with the Agha Kahn, the Duchess of Sutherland and Mrs Astor. I had a very interesting talk with the Agha Kahn on the situation in the East. I do not think he fears there will be any general Mohamodan uprising in India, but he says the situation requires very careful handling. Afterwards we went on to see the wonderful film "The Birth of a Nation" at the Scala Theatre.
Tuesday November 2nd
I am worse than ever and simply do not know what to do.
Wednesday November 3rd
Played golf this morning with Fenton. On returning