Lady Astor listened, looked, was amazed: "Really, this is a most interesting House of Commons. If Europe has changed as much ... we can hope for permanent peace."
The members, having heard Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden make a report that read like a compendium of communiques from Teheran and Cairo, had turned to an exploration of future British policy. What startled the incredulous Nancy was the way Tories, Independents, Laborites agreed that Britain must: 1) revive its faith in the Commonwealth, take steps to strengthen and streamline it; 2) extend the Commonwealth to the little democracies of Western Europe,...