False Image
It was noticed in this column last week that the images of the major political parties were now being translated into posters. Mr. Wilson was being shown as a cheery, friendly, sociable sort of chap. Anyone who believes that will be- lieve anything. But it is strange that the Tory Party seems determined to portray the Prime Minister as someone utterly remote from the real man. He was an outstanding Secretary of State for Commonwealth Relations and a dis- tinguished Foreign Secretary. Very few Prime Ministers are all-rounders. Macmillan was. Prob- ably Balfour was. The rest had specialist know- ledge of special fields. In 1955, for example (the closest parallel), when Eden became Prime Minister and had to face a general election at
short notice, no one thought of building him up as a man whose life had been devoted to the intricate details of the social services. He was put forward as an international statesman in his own right. And so he was. So also is Sir Alec, and as such a real asset to the Tory cam- paign. The Cabinet is full of young modernisers: Maudling, Heath, Boyle, Joseph, Rippon. Let them carry this standard. It is surely more im- portant to show the Prime Minister as one of the key figures in Western diplomacy. I know the answer Lord Blakenham and Colman Prentis and Varley would give: there are no votes in peace. Aren't there?
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