A Spectator's Notebook
MONDAY'S Times article on Selwyn Lloyd made interest- ing reading. If the political correspondent of a popular newspaper were to say, `Mr. Macmillan has let Mr. Lloyd know that at the Foreign Office, in these troubled times, enough is enough . . . in the Foreign Secretary's own interests, and for the sake of the country and his party, a reasonable term must be set to the carrying of the burden,' his story might be taken as more or less inspired guesswork. When The 7'inies Political Correspondent says these words, and goes on to discuss Mr. Lloyd as if his relegation in a few months' time were a foregone conclusion, readers naturally assume the story is true—particularly as The Times printed it as its centre-page lead story, making it look like straight news rather than speculation. It is hardly conceivable that the Prime Minister deliberately singled out The Times Political Correspondent for his confidences on the subject; can it be that The Times has at last decided it must cease being the confidant of Ministers and officials and become instead their scourge? It may not have been a very tactful moment to make the break; but the decision is welcome.
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