--Portrait of the Week
SIR WINSTON CliURCIIILL passed into history, when world leaders gathered to attend the first state funeral for a commoner since that for Welling- ton in 1852. President de Gaulle met Mr. Wilson for a frosty fifty minutes, Mr. Smith of Rhodesia complained of a Buckingham Palace snub before finding his own staff had mislaid his invitation, and President Johnson was accused of snubbing his Vice-President, Mr. Humphrey, by naming Mr. Rusk as representative. The GPO promised Churchill stamps and £100 gold medals are to be struck.
1111: PARTY TRUCE OVER, the Commons debated Labour's hundred days in a brawl as undignified as any that disfigured the Tories' thirteen years. The Deputy Speaker ruled that Mr. Wilson's description of Sir Alec Douglas-Home as 'the so- called Leader of the Opposition' was 'not customary but in order,' and Liberal abstentions gave Labour a safe ride. Amid the tumult Mr. Wilson announced a temporary reprieve for the ISR2, and the axeing of two of Hawker Sid- deley's planes,' the P1154 and HSG8I. The Opposition lost Mr. Butler from its front bench When (ironically at Mr. Wilson's recommendation) he took the Mastership of Trinity, Cambridge, and a life peerage. Another Foreign Secretary finding a new job was Mr. Gordon Walker, who is to promote the initial teaching alphabet.
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PRESIDENT JOHNSON asked Congress to lay down rules for finding a successor, EFTA continued to rumble against the British surcharge, and China announced that following Indonesia's brave action she was not interested any more in joining the UN. Former Khrushchev aide Mr. Kozlov died, as did General Weygand. who in 1940 signed the armistice with Germany. Mr. Kosygin is to visil North Vietnam. Russian flu is spreading, and Dr. Martin Luther King.was arrested in Alabama for 'Parading without a permit.' Imprisoned were 1.095 under the ninety-day rule in South Africa, and 108 people have broken the Malawi law that all cars must stop whenever Dr. Bandit's car comes into sight.
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III.Sy Row 01. THE WIER was between Which? and the housebuilders after the magazine maintained that only 9 per cent of new house buyers were totally satisfied. The housebuilders at once replied that the report contained 'many errors of omis- sion that could unnecessarily worry some pur- chasers.' The US Secretary to the Treasury sur- prised many people by insisting that the UK economy was now on the mend, and sterling rose to its best level since June. though the Governor of the Bank of England called for a brake on Public spending. National health charges (or rather some of them) ended, the millionth Mini was assembled. Lord Snow was harshly critical of business lunches. Lord Donovan is to head the long-awaited inquiry into trade unions, which also Will look at employers' organisations.
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tin: OUTSTANDING NEWS ITEM Of the week came from the BBC, which has banned a record 'Land- ing of the Daleks' by a Birmingham beat group, the Earthlings, because part of the record con- tains the Morse code message 'SOS . . . SOS . . . Ualeks have landed.' The BBC thinks ships' radio ()rumors might take the message for genuine.
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WEEK OF EXCITEMENT in the soccer world: the Police denied another thirty-five arrests for fixing matches were likely, and Chelsea banned the BBC from filming its matches because of 'dis- graceful commentaries.' Third Division Peter- borough knocked Arsenal out of the Cup, and the latter promptly gave manager Billy Wright a five- year contract.
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