YOU and the GOVERNMENT r [Great Britain, we do not assassinate, and we Tarely execute, our rulers. They are chosen by the people and can be replaced with ease. The House of Commons, consisting of 615 members, is freely elected by secret ballot, and so, largely reflects the opinion of the country. Everyman and woman over the age of 21, except criminals, lunaties and members of the House of Lords, is entitled to vote. In theory, anyone over 2 1 can stand for election .although the £150 deposit, the cost of an election campaign, and the fact that an M.P. cannot live on his £600 salary, less income tax, deter many candidates. Parliament is elected for 5 years, but can be dissolved earlier on the decision or defeat of the Government in power. It has taken us 700 years to buildup this system of Government. It is the focal point about which we have built our democratic institutions and, with local government, it is the mainstay of our civic and individual liberties Of recent years, certain criticisms have been levelled ^lin st Entertainment MUST Be GoodBy KEITH HARVEY= TATHEN you Britain, making the most of seven days leave, or enjoying an unofficial« forty-eight »,what kind of entertainment did vou prefer ?Did you set your course for the nearest theatre, or did you choose, with exacting care, a cinema, a variety-show, an old- time music-hall or just a cosy armchair and a really good -radio programme ? Im asking you this because the old adage: one mans meat is another man's poison, applies very much to entertainment— especially in war-time. As a schoolboy, I remember being taken, in crocodile formation .to see a particularly dreary performance of «Macbeth», which w e rein fine artistes who constantly are tirely as it should be. further immortalising the works of our famed British playrights. QEFORE enlisting. I was an ho-norary lecturer to that much- maligned institution, the Army Education Corps. With a portable gramophone amplifier and some records, I used to tour lonely camps .airfields and A. A. posts, dispensing «?tve» and «canned» entertainment to music-lovers. One night, I was discussing Beethoven with the men of a search-light battSry, when I discovered that 75 percent of the audience were rhythm-en- thusiasts. with not the slightest interest in tin proceedings! The room in which I played the Moonlight Sonata on a creaking piano was a cold, grey concrete and brick structure, and the seats were hard forms. ALTHOUGH war artistes are ¦»often conscripted into the entertainment field, entertainment, itself, should never be dictated as a set policy. It is better to have one really good entertainment than six poor shows. The standard cannot be too high for men on Active Service. I think you can judge lor yourselves the Quality of entertainment in North Africa. Thei-e are lesser stars in every firmament, of course, but, as a general rule, we are getting good shows, and many first-class artistes, in a never-ending stream. a Shakespearean company was scrubbed to a glistening white by presenting at the local theatre. a fatigue party. What Britain Stands Jor -No. 2 By Lewn^ruQHpE The fact that attendance was compulsory and the play very dull, made me dislike Shakespeare very much for a longtime hence. It was hard on Shakespeare. because it was not his fault that «Macbeth» was ruined by wrong lines and forgotten «cues». But it made me dislike his plays for quite awhile— until 1 found the real significance of DRAMA, as interpreted by those Twenty-five percent of my listeners had come along because they were m^fcic-lovers, genuinely interested in the subject: the others had befcn paraded, one hour before,^ I arrived, and detailed to attend !Naturally, I did not let the matter rest there. The entire system of mobile entertainment in this area was subsequently revised. and entertainment «parades »abolished. Which was en- our form of government. ie selection of candidates is with advice from party e ^i^n ves, and the electorate has sometimes to choose between several candidates, none of whom it approves. ipite the power of the Oppo- l!Ln, s tnblr ffi?'"Iro\> minority in the House has no positive say in the government and, worse still, it is not always sure that a party majority represents a numerical majority of electors. As an exampio, in the election of 1935, the Government polled 11,792,332 votes and s-o won 432 seats, while the Opposition polled 10,209,505 votes and gained only 184 seats. Hence the cry for proportional representation. In wartime there are further criticisms. It is dangerous to change the government in time of crisis, and so there has been no election since November. 1935. and members have lost touch with their constituencies. Democracy is a responsibility. It implies that every elector takes an interest in the Government of his country, holds opinions, and is prepared to express them and to accept responsibility for them. The government is you :you form either the party in power or one of the parties in opposition. If you do not use your vote, and use it intelligently, you are failing the cause we fight fo r:and, in any case, whether you praise or criticise the body that rules you, remember that you I elected it, and, as democrats, the »final responsibility is yours. »Tunis $how Guide -tMd School-Tie Cad i-T HERE is a feast of Ji nterUinjuent'fieSdh way. Amon the top-line artisu-j who will be playing in Tunis, this weekend, are those inhnimble radio «cads», ihe Western Brothers. Kenneth and Georg^. of old Garrison Theatre. school-tie fame— their ^cags are known all the world J fe r—are all set for their spediaT show, which E.N.S.A. is pres?fttT« at the Garrison Theatre. Production is by Major William Devlin, well-known Shakespearean actor from the Old Vi theatre. This is his first vent .into the world of revue. Frank On Saturday, they are giving Jackson, Englands youngest Ba- two performances— at 15.00 hrs. and 17.30 hrs. On Sunday there will be one show, commencing at 15.00 hrs. ”ft Kenneth and George have brought over from Britain a host of topical quips and delightfully satirical songs. They are certainly in for a «big hand». Supporting the Western Brothers at these performances is the famous R.A.F. band The Sand- oiiers». which has just concluded a successful tour in the Middle East. The band appears by permission of the A.F.R Welfare Department. Tickets can be booked in the usual way. The Garrison Theatre box-office is open daily from 10.00 hrs. to 12.00 hrs. «WISHFUL THINKING »THERE are acre surprises for Tunis «atertainment-seekers. Next wmA a British Armoured Division is presenting anew reroe, «Wishful Thinking» at the chelor of Music has scored the original compositions for an orchestra of sixteen. The show has some lovely ladies and, in addition to a premiere danseuse and several attractive soubret- tes .there is a charming eighteen- year-old coloratura soprano «discovery.» «Wishful Thinking opens Monday, September run for one week only. 0 4 They thought he was kidding A FAMOUS racing driver, who ¦now knows the hairpin bends on the roads of Tunisia, as well ashe used to know the turns at Brooklands, carried out an interesting test, the other day. He is serving in North Africa, and he had been involved, with other drivers, in an argument concerning petrol consumption. Some of them refused to believe that a saving of several miles to the gallon could be achieved by careful driving. The racing driver disagreed, so they decided to settle the matter in a practical way. j First, the racing dpfver sent for an ordinary Bedford three-! tonner which haw^ 11.5Q5L- ?aIrettor. ~ jf , _ iplruck flat iUi out, _ when fm? ijetrol rnn ¦--Speedometer showed 8.6 miles, i .His mechanics inspected the eng>joe. cleaned the plugs, check-'ed /ami altered the ignition timing), tappets and carburettor setting and filled up with another allon. Ajain lethe the truck all- out along the same road, but this time outran of petrol after 10.5 miles. Finally, he filled up again with one gallon and drove back carefully and steadily. To everyones astonishment he clocked 14.2 mile^! Wlteen I was racinga, the drivp'f-expert told his audience, «Jr"4»ad to put my foot down peavily. Consumption didnt matter then. Now things are different. Every drop of petri^ is precious. You cant be too care-ful». h ust over thee- tve 1 (SPORT By ISIDORE GREEN Boxing and Speedway THERE should be some keen and exciting contests in the boxing programme which I)vr. James Graham is organising for the lads of his R.A.S.C. Company next Thursday evening. Sept. 9. This Coy. is rightly proud of the quality of the sporting shows it has staged already, and it claims the finest boxing ring in the Army. I am particularly looking forward to next Thursdays tournament, for in the programme is 'J.R. Murphy a sapper in the whoR.E.s. is reputed to be cthe goods ».With an excellent amateur reputation. and with natural box- fighting abilities. Sapper Murphy is tremendously keen to make good in the fistic firmament. His record, progressively, to date includes the 7‘ st. Welsh Schoolboy Championship, 8 st. Welsh junior Flyweight Championship, and the 1942 Featherweight Army Championship (South Midland Area). He is also( a Welsh Internationalist. After the war he intends ito uptake the game professionally Drv. Graham says he has found a worthy opponent for Murphy. SPEEDWAYS POSSIBILITIES ANOTHER sport that is bound to receive an open-armed welcome when That Evil Man and his Thugs are more,no is Speedway Racing. Remember those glorious nights, with the arc-lights blazing forth upon the dusty speedway, when such dazzling stars as Lionel Van Pr:.ag— he won the D.C.M. for bravery in this war— Jack Parker. «Bluey» Wilkinson, ihe Brothers Milne, Jack and lev tr^cK ~ ^ Uemember those dizzy moments, when thritl-upon-thrill brought crowds of 80,000 and upwards to their feet, cheering fervently, for honrs on end? Speedway Racing is one of the most fascinating of all sports. Supporters clubs attracted nearly haif-a-million «fans» in London, alone! Then add those record «gates» at the big provincial meetings. There should bean abundance of speedwray talent after the war. What about our dashing Don Rs? Theyve certainly had a wealth of experience of daredevil riding in this theatre, alone. They're only waiting the word which will speed them back to Bonnie Britain, where the lure of the cinder-track will be as compelling as ever. :SAVE PETROL EACH DAY -ITS THE VICTORY WAY Slogan contributed by C p tM. S.R. Hariock, L.A.D. ,b Switch off when Halted Busy Nurses Relax by the Sea MANY of our Nursing Sisters in the hospitals of North Africa, who have been lucky enough to be granted a few days leave, are very grateful to Miss Inez Dawson, who recently arrived here from Chalfont St. Giles, Bucks. Miss Dawson is in charge of the Y.W.CA. in North Africa, and since her arrival she has been very busy organising a hostel where the can spend their leave or. if they have only a few hours off duty,Jhey can spend it incomplete relaxation, faraway from the odour of anaesthetics. The other day I visited this hostel, which is the first to be opened in North Africa. Situated St.at Germain, it consists of two very large .villas right on the seafront. Large wT ell-kept gardens line the approaches and the air is heavily scented with exotic perfumes from the flower-beds. I was conductei round the hostel by Miss Dawson. It was filled with sisters enjoying a well earned rest. No effort had been spared to make it as pleasant as possible. The large dining-room is gaily decorated in red and blue. Dotted around the room are small tables, each one bearing a large vase of fragrant flowers. Gaily painted chairs complete the picture, and give an atmosphere of happiness. JOY OF AREAL BED I One of the first things that gives perhaps the most joy— ju^ is, perhaps, the only word that can be used to express the feedings of the sisters, many of whom have slept for months umtar j canvas— is their first sight of By Malcolm McLaren bedrooms they are going to occupy. These are spacious rooms, facing the beach, or the gardens, and are equipped with two single I beds and other furniture required to make a really attractive bedroom. One of the most popular rooms, when the sisters are not bathing or otherwise occupied is the lounge. Here they can entertain their friends, take tea, and. if they are feeling energetic, dance to the music of a gramophone. The terrace of the house has also been put to excellent use. On the roof, Miss Dawson is going to hold her dances. The terrace, incidentally, is used, af the moment, for sunbathing. The situation of this hostel is so delightful that it is only ne»cessary to open the garden gate and your first step lands you on the beach, for sunning or bathing. Shower-baths are also one of the many services the hostel provides. Although it has only been opened for the best part of a month, this hostel has already given a well-earned Mediterranean holiday to hundreds of Nursing Sisters, whose daily contribution to the war effort makes then indispensible. Printed and pvotiKhed every Monday, W fdiw'da? and Friday, to UNION JACK. Britiib At my Newspaper VniL. by ,«La Rapid Editor: «tU t K.C. Harrry. AH I tap .i»II. t Warisbali : Trtepboia ., <