Portrait of the week
Mr Wilson the peacemaker returned from Washing- ton with not much to show for it; he had been entertained at a state dinner with a rendering of 'The road to Mandalay' and on ars television had said that the use of tactical nuclear weapons in Viet- nam would be sheer lunacy. Back in London he had talks with U Thant, then assured the Com- mons that 'the gap is now very narrow' that separates the us and Hanoi from the conference table. Meantime the Pentagon announced that another 10.500 troops would be sent out.
With the number of pending by-elections up to eight following the deaths of Labour srPs Sydney Silverman and Richard Winterbouom, the Tories decided that Kensington South, and Warwick and Leamington should be contested next month; mean- while Liberals were busy petitioning for a definite date at Acton. With the flow of Asian immigrants from East Africa causing concern, Mr Enoch Powell advocated stricter controls on the admission of 'dependants.' At sea, Hull trawlermen were angry at the Government's ban on fishing in Ice- landic waters, and pointed to record catches being brought in by their foreign rivals.
Rumour had it that 'Ark Royal,' currently under- going her expensive refit, had been reprieved, but no such luck for the gaming clubs: Mr Callaghan said that their number would be severely reduced. Britain's exports were up by £50 million in January while imports rose by only £11 million. Two more unions decided to back the 'mu's new incomes policy, Mr Wilson treated the House to yet another definition of the 3+ per cent ceiling on wage settle- ments, and a sixty-four year old man who became a school-crossing warden for nothing—to save Britain L60—lost his unemployment benefit. A national conference to discuss problems of trans- plant operations was called.
Tear gas was used to quell riots in the second (and drawn) Test match against the West Indies, and three East German competitors were disquali- fied at the Winter Olympic Games for heating their toboggan runners. Lord Eccles took over from Lord Radcliffe as chairman of the trustees of the British Museum and a fourteen year old British boy was turned down by the Foreign Legion,
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