3 APRIL 1971, Page 28

Lording it

It was Robert Benchley, I think, who said that you could divide the world into two kinds of people : those who divided the world into two kinds of people and others. Two kinds that I'd divide people into are ac- tivists and communicators, those who do and those who comment. They approximate, I suppose, to Jung's extrovert and introvert categories. Most businessmen fall into the activist category (even if there is a shy aesthete trying to get out sometimes) and most communicators fall into the introvert section (though here again you might detect a few Caesars wistfully looking for an op- portunity to do deeds).

One rule that applies to these categories is that they so rarely meet, and when they do they limit themselves to a symbol of the other party. TV for example, when it wants a businessman to discuss almost anything can think of no one but Lord Stokes, Campbell Adamson of the cot, Lord Robens and perhaps Lord Watkinson. How telly loves a lord. Yet there must be intelligent industrial commoners all over the country. Surely?

Talking of Lords, if I were a tycoon who fancied rubbing shoulders with Lords George-Brown and Longford, I would back Labour rather than Conservative. There are too many Tory tycoons competing for peerages. Life is a lot easier if you are an in- dustrial Labour supporter. Lords (Wilfred) Brown, Sainsbury and Campbell have got there, while their Tory opposite numbers in bearings, food and sugar have had to be satisfied with knigthoods or even a plain mister.