AT A MEETING the other night Lord Hailsham gave a
copybook demonstration of how to deal with hecklers. Probably no other politician in either party would have been quick-witted enough to turn the presentation of a bathing suit to advan- tage by holding a snap auction sale. I gather that he made a number of different calls for bids, so none of the reports below was necessarily in- accurate, but it is of some interest to see which of his expressions the various sub-editors thought suitable for their readers.
He threw a black bathing .costume on to the platform. Someone passed it to Lord Hailsham, who dangled it for the audience. 'Who'll give me a quid for these bum-bags?' he shouted.
Daily Express. `Who'll give me a quid for these lady's bags?' Daily Mail. `Who will give me a quid for these?'
Daily Telegraph. `Now who will give me a pound for them?' The Times. It was a bathing costume . . . Lord Hailsham then asked if anyone would give him a pound for this curious emblem of latter-day rebellion. Manchester Guardian.
* * *
Previous page
