Liberalism
What is a liberal? We have today, in Mr Roy Jenkins, an ostensibly liberal Home Secrei.ary, and a dozen Liberal Members of Parliament. One of them, the young and personable victor of last year's Roxburgh by-election, Mr David Steel, has just drawn third place in the ballot for private members' bills. The trouble is, he can't make up his mind what bill to introduce. Should it be a Border Development Bill, which would doubtless be highly popular in his constituency? Or should he, rather, resuscitate Mr Humphry Berkeley's bill to liberalise the law on homo- sexuality, which he supported, and which lapsed when the last parliament was dissolved, and which indisputably enlarged the margin of Mr Berke- ley's subsequent defeat at Lancaster and added considerably to his difficulties with his con- stituency association? Which, in short, is it to
be—prudence and parochialism or courage and liberalism?
Mr Steel, of course, is on strong ground when he argues that Mr Jenkins, who is actively sup- porting attempts to persuade him to resurrect Humphry Berkeley's bill, ought to go ahead and introduce it himself, in government time. After all, it has already passed the Commons once, when only one minister of cabinet rank—Sir Eric Fletcher—out of four dozen voted against it. So why not, Mr Jenkins? But the Home Secretary's caution, however deplorable, can't provide an alibi for Mr Steel, any more than Mr Steel's refusal can give an alibi to Mr Jenkins. If they both turn their backs on the bill that's their business. But lets not hear so much about a liberal Home Secretary and a liberal party_
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