The Brains Trust last night were asked, "Is there any difference between Fascism and Communism?" and surprisingly, they mostly said there was not. Even Bertrand Russell, who is not renowned for his conservatism, could suggest that only the attitudes towards anti-semitism were definitely different in practice. Dr. Bronowski alone pointed out that though there may be superficial resemblances between Nazi Germany and Russia, the former was a liberal society going down to a cultural eclipse, whilst the latter shows the growth of liberty in an originally despotic state.

The sages might have learnt a lot had they attended the recent Conference of the Empire Communist Parties. This gathering, unique of its kind, offered abundant evidence that this island's vaunted "Christian Liberal Democracy" is not immune from the Star Chamber methods attributed to the lesser breeds. The recent Ghetto Laws in South Africa, the persecution of trade unions in Burma, Malaya and Ceylon, arrests in India, and martial law in Palestine, is formidable and well documented. The tale of pious talk and underhand double-cross is long and uniform. Even allowing for the bias of people who have fought their rulers for twenty years, the name "perfide Albion" still sticks. Moreover, the doctrine that Communists are the fifth column of the Red Army hardly stood up to the evident patriotism and sincere practical politics of the delegates, and the unanimous agreement of white, black and yellow, Jew and Arab, European and Asiatic, Metropolitans and Colonials, on the most diverse and controversial issues gives the lie direct to the claim that Internationalism is dead within the working class movements.

The ban on the weekly journals of opinion, in itself a stupid piece of government bungling, neither expressly desired or legalised, had some useful effects. They attained a new and far greater audience. They obtained through the hospitality of the dailies (Kingsley Martin even appeared in the "Evening Standard") and a Special session of the BBC. As a result, they say they have sold out their quota early in the week, and under more normal conditions their circulation would have lapsed. The session of editors expressing their (or their paper's) views on current events was thoughtful, controversial (far more than Brains Trust) and very revealing of the intelligence and intellectual calibre of the participants. It would make a most interesting weekly feature.

Poor David Low has been in trouble again. He lampooned Churchill as Mr. Micawber, and drew denouncing letters from outraged readers. The "Evening Standard" ran a column for several weeks, printing these letters indiscriminately. Thus: "The trouble with Low is, he is not funny." "The great thing about Low is that he is so funny." "Low can't draw." "Low's drawing is superb." "Sack Low" (a Rear-Admiral). "Get an extra cartoonist for admirals but leave our Low" (a naval rating). "Low is just a little Australian (sic) radical who sneers at all that is best in the Empire." (Quote from Churchill.) "Churchill is just like Micawber and I shall draw him thus always in future" (Low).

Low himself ran riot with most amusing cartoons saying he had been replaced by one "High" whose politics he then illustrated. In fact, of course, the "Evening Standard," despite their Beaver Biimpishness, cannot afford to sack him, as he is worth millions of readers and is a British Institution.