SLEEP - WALKING SIR, — Starbuck is, of course, wrong: my recent article in
Crossbow has received plenty of publicity but little attention. The comments on it, whether in the Observer; the Telegraph or the Spectator, have concentrated, without exception, on a few lines of analysis dealing with prejudices whose existence I regret but recognise, and have totally ignored all the pages devoted to constructive and, if I may so term them, radical recommendations for the future—though the make-up of the new Cabinet leaves hope that there. at least, some of my sug- gestions may reach consideration.
have been condemned for suggesting that there is a fairly substantial body of rank-and-file opinion in the Conservative Party, as in all other parties, which is moved more by emotion and pre- judice than by reason and that the party cannot hope to win the next election by rushing so far ahead of the rank and file that they will no longer vote for it, preferring to vote for a Liberal Party whose absence of a common policy allows anyone to hope that his prejudices will be reflected in its practice. Surely Starbuck cannot imagine that the mass of the popular support of any party is drawn from the equivalent of men like Macleod in the Conservative ranks and Strachey among the Labourites. All mass parties, as I said in my article, are dependent to a large degree on seeming to reflect the views of people who are far behind the party leadership in understanding and modernity. This is even truer of Labour than of the Tories. However regrettable, these views cannot be continually flouted by the leaders without the loss of essential electoral sup- port. The move towards a modern and realistic society must come as quickly as possible, but there are limits to the speed at which this can be done.
Considering how large a portion of my article was devoted to the hope for Britain's future rep-
resented by the Common Market, to the need for a modern and realistic defence policy—by McNamara out of Strachey, with certain additions—to radical reforms of the union structure which would, by improving its popular image, give more influence to the TUC while reducing loss of production by inter-union strikes. and to an economic proposal which has not hitherto been considered, for a sliding- scale Bank rate to encourage useful and discourage socially undesirable investment, I am more than a little puzzled at being held up as a sort of middle- aged obscurantist. My point was simply that these ideas, if, as I think desirable, they are to be intro- duced by a Tory Government, cannot be brought in by a party which does not remember to soothe the ruffled feelings of its more obscurantist members by a few trivial and econamical gestures, in order to win the next election Whether Starbuck likes it or not, political parties in a democracy have to think of tactics as well as principles.
I hope that the Spectator, unlike the Observer, will find room for my reply to its fairly lengthy criticisms.
IONFI. H. GROUSE
3 Lux borough Street, W1
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