THE SPECTATOR
THE UNBALANCED TICKET
The sacking of Mr John Biffen will seem to many to be just another of Mrs Thatch- er's dismissals of men uncongenial to her. Some will say it is an extra piece of evidence of her authoritarianism; others that she was bound to do it because of Mr Biffen's various 'disloyal' remarks. To us it seems different from her previous remov- als, and much worse. For this is the first time that she has sacked a Tory. The procession of distinguished rebels in the last two Parliaments — Mr James Prior, Mr Francis Pym, Sir Ian Gilmour may have seen themselves as keepers of the Tory conscience, but they were actually Whigs. They believed in the rule of the country by benevolent grandees. They were men of means and, mostly, of birth. They respected civil servants and interna- tional institutions and they had no affec- tion for the common people or trust in their instincts. They opposed everything that Mrs Thatcher stood for. It was only natural that she should get rid of such men.
Mr Biffen is quite different. By birth (the son of a West Country farmer) he is representative of ordinary England, and by inclination he avoids the cabals of the Powerful. He has no money to speak of. His entire political career has been an effort to uphold Tory principles, not in a last-ditch sort of way, yet with an admir- ably reckless disregard for what would happen to him as a result. Mr Biffen was Mr Enoch Powell's closest associate, but it Is wrong to call him a Powellite. He has always been enough of a true Tory to dislike following questions to their logical conclusions. Thus he was against the Com- mon Market, but he never agreed with Mr Powell that this opposition should go to the lengths of voting Labour. He was an early monetarist, but he never imagined that economic theory could be a substitute for the art of politics. He has Conservative scepticism rather than Whig cynicism.
In many of the particular disagreements which he has had with Mrs Thatcher, Mr Biffen has been in the wrong. His pessim- ism leads him to underestimate what is possible. When he called for a 'balanced ticket' in 1986 he did not improve the chances of Tory electoral success, much as many would want to agree with his view that Mrs Thatcher ought not to lead her party into a fourth general election. He opposed the sending of the Falklands Task Force. He has less courage about what can be done in politics than about taking risks with his own career. It may also be true, as his critics claim, that he is not a good departmental minister.
But a Cabinet should not be entirely composed of like minds. Even less should it be composed of like characters. Much of the tension between Mr Biffen and the Prime Minister arises from the fact that he has a very good sense of humour and she has none whatsoever. There is nothing that she can do about this except recognise her lack and compensate for it by keeping Mr Biffen around. As Leader of the House of Commons, Mr Biffen found a role perfect- ly suited to his abilities and interests. He loves the Commons and understands it. It was his good nature and skill which kept open the 'usual channels' to the Opposition during the last Parliament. Labour were in the mood to sever relations with a more abrasive Leader. Mr Biffen's presence made Labour accusations of authoritarian- ism and extremism look absurd. Although Mr John Wakeham is the best available replacement, the Government is now dangerously short of men who can keep Parliament in a good temper.
Besides, there is the question of pru- dence. All those whom Mrs Thatcher has previously dismissed have been unsuccess- ful rebels. Being men for the most part preoccupied with power, they did not enjoy the backbenches. They had little rapport with the House of Commons. Each wrote his book of wounded pride and somewhat slipshod theory. None attracted a following. Mr Biffen is popular in the House and well known to MPs because of his previous position. He speaks very well in the Chamber. He has been a good rebel before, when he opposed Mr Heath's incomes policies and inflationary econo- mics in the early 1970s. He will be a good rebel again. Up till now Mrs Thatcher has avoided separating herself (except on Northern Ireland) from the Tories in her party, even though she is more of an old-fashioned Liberal than a Tory herself. By her mean-minded dismissal of Mr Bif- fen she has exposed herself to a new and dangerous attack.
Previous page
