IN THE DANGER ZONE

During the war someone remarked that the world's three greatest men were Wilson, who had the right ideas and failed to apply them; Lenin, who had the wrong ideas and failed to apply them; and Lloyd George, who had no ideas and applied them vigorously. America's estimate of the Welsh Wizard has been generally higher than this opinion; but if there is truth in the paradox, it is easy to see which of the three has been most successful. Wilson has been repudiated; Lenin is an emblem of chaos; Lloyd George continues undisturbed at the head of a powerful empire.

One man, at least, profited by the tactical lessons of the war. England's particular "bete noir" was the submarine: by observing and imitating the zigzag course of ships under attack, the Prime Minister has learned to escape the political torpedoes that his opponents have aimed at him. But he is passing now through a narrower channel, where there is less space for manoeuvering. A straight and swift course will be his only salvation. The general election, which seems an imminent certainly, will find Lloyd George at the head of a genuine political party with definite policies, or it will find him an easy mark for the increasing broadsides of his critics.