We were confronted, the hon. Member will agree, with an external enemy who had to be confronted, and we wanted to give all the time possible for the prosecution of the war to the Ministers concerned in that very vital matter rather than take up their time with private Members' business. It is true that there was a fight, but it was something of a sham fight. We went through the motions; we never fired our rifles.

When the war ended, there was a general anticipation that private Members would have these privileges restored to them. In fact, on that fateful Sunday, 3rd September, pledges were given from the Treasury Bench that with the cessation of hostilities, we would regain these very important opportunities for promoting legislation. I hope I carry the House with me up to this point, anyhow.

But the General Election of 1945 returned to power a Government composed of right hon. and hon. Members opposite, who proceeded to take unto themselves, in time of peace, not only for the first Session of their reign, but for the first two Sessions, all private Members' time and privileges including—I speak from memory but I think I am correct—the Ten Minutes Rule. For the first two years, no facilities of any kind were given for private Members' time.

I am sorry that the right hon. Member for Lewisham, South (Mr. H. Morrison) is not in his place, because he was leading the House at that time, aided and abetted by the right hon. Member for Blaydon (Mr. Whiteley), who was then, as he is now, his party's Chief Whip. The right hon. Member for Lewisham, South, said that so important and urgent was it to pass certain Measures, which have brought great evil upon us, nationalising various industries, that private Members' time must be surrendered in toto, not because of any external enemy, but so that Socialism might continue its onward march.

I do not remember whether the hon. Member for Ince protested at that time, not against three Fridays being taken from us, but against the two whole Sessions of Parliamentary time in which there were no private Members' opportunities at all.