PORTRAIT OF THE WEEK
In the face of poor trade figures for March, Mr Jenkins introduced a Budget estimated to. raise *an additional f340 million revenue in a full year. Selective employment tax was in- creased by half a guinea to 48s for men; and to 24s for women employees; and the Conserva- tives renewed their pledge to abolish it. To the disgust of the Labour left Mr Jenkins also promised early legislation to implement some of the main proposals in Mrs Castle's White Paper on the unions, In.Place of Strife, and the controversial Parliament (No 2) Bill, reforming the House of Lords, appeared almost certain to be dropped to make way for it. Gilt- edged were made exempt from capital gains tax, personal bank overdraft interest had its tax exemption removed, corporation tax went up by 2f per cent, purchase tax was impoked on peanuts and pet food and household linen, and a new savings scheme was introduced. Petrol went up twopence a gallon.
In France, the General's referendum cam-
paign opened inauspiciously at Lille, where policemen were pelted with eggs at a meeting addressed by M Couve de Murville, the Prime Minister. M Valelry Giscard d'Estaing, General de Gaulle's former finance minister and leader of the Independent Republican party, came out against the referendum. Israel rejected as 'another non-constructive propaganda exercise' the peace plans offered by King Hussein in a speech in Washington. Jails in Milan and Turin were evacuated as riots spread to prisons throughout Italy. North Korea shot down an American spy aircraft with thirty-one service- men on board.
In China, Lin Piao was officially declared heir-apparent to Chairman Mao Tse-tung, who, it was announced, was to lose the hyphen 'from his name, and would in future be known as Mao Tsetung. No reason was given. Mr Michael Stewart denied on television that Mr Lee, the British Commissioner in Anguilla, was to be replaced, then admitted in the House of
Commons that he might have expressed him- self badly. Mr Lee's replacement arrived in Anguilla, and Mr Ronald Webster, the Anguil- lan leader, cancelled plans for a referendum. The frigate 'Minerva' was ordered to leave Anguilla for the island of Montserrat, where it was rumoured that order had broken down, the Mafia were in control etc.
A new Try series, Big Breadwinner Hog, had some of the violence cut out of future instal- ments after protests from viewers. A Spaniard, Senor Manuel Cortes, emerged after thirty- two years hiding in his attic on hearing of an amnesty for crimes committed during the civil war. The Pope abolished red galero hats for cardinals. Mr Enoch Powell had a cup of coffee thrown at him by a coloured nurse at Conservative women's coffee gathering. The National Trust announced plans to save the Tolpuddle Martyrs' Tree, in Dorset, but said it wasn't interested in buying Lundy Island. The scientologists said they were.
Previous page
