Corridors
PUZZLE FINDS THAT any scandal involving a minister inevitably raises questions of security, whatever its real nature. Tories naturally expect that the fellow-travellers and pawns of the eastern European spy system are to be found among the left wing of the Labour Party. But one senior minister, discussing the danger of subversion in the House of Commons. recently observed that, of a possible dozen or so politicians under pressure from eastern Europe, the majority were to be found on the right.
ON THE SAME SUBJECT of security, it is interesting to observe that ministers are not subject to official surveillance by the security services, even though ordinary members of Parliament occasionally are. Since the most important indiscretions always involve ministers, rather than the more humble forms of political life, and since ministers readily accept greater intrusions on their private lives than the rest of us ordinary citizens, it is surely not unreasonable to suggest that in future every minister should have a spy tailing him, whether or not he also has a policeman guarding him.
IN THE MIDST of the greatest despair there is always the possibility of political hope. And a number of yoUnger Tory backbenchers see nothing more in the departure of Anthony Lambton than the sudden and unexpected availability of a job. It appears that Mr Heath will spend 'even more time replacing the Parliamenta y Under-Secretary of State for the RAF tt an he did in replacing Mr Peter Kirk as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the avy — then there was a delay of some wee s after a main government reshuffle. Fav urite dark horse for Lambton's job: John Biffen, member for Oswestry, who has the disadvantage of being rather Powellite in economic opinion, but the great advantages of! being irreproachable, impeccable and pure.
oin Puzzle
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