Spectator's Notebook
'OBSERVER' wins a (cut- price) Oscar for his revela- tion in Wednesday's Financial Times of the true story behind Mr. George Brown's gallant fight against rising prices. It appears, for example, that the Sainsbury statement which finally achieved headline fame was in fact the third offered to Fleet Street, that Marks and Spencer put out such a statement as a matter of yearly custom, and that the Co-op have little, if any, idea what they intend to do. The position is ludicrous. A manufacturer who, applying ordinary business considerations, has no need to raise his prices, has only to tele- graph this very ordinary news to Stockholm to be sure of some useful publicity and the reply 'Bless you. Well done. George Brown.' And presumably anyone who, applying ordinary business con- siderations, finds that the Socialist government through the import charge, petrol increase, wage increases, rail and freight increases and higher National Insurance contributions has made, in his particular case, price increases inevitable, will get the answer 'Damn you. Push off. George Brown.' Who was it who called him 'Bluffer Brown'?
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