For the first time in almost ten years of war and austerity, the lights of London, including Piccadilly's advertising signs (see cut), were turned up to their prewar glory. Thousands of Londoners cheered, and moppets who had never seen the show murmured with delight. This was a happy prelude to an otherwise depressing week for Britain. In the House of Commons, Chancellor of the Exchequer Sir Stafford Cripps presented his 1949-50 budget. Under his severe guidance, Britain had sweated, toiled, and made a sensational recovery (TIME, March 28). Now, the nation felt, it was due for something more than the lights...
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