Mr. Churchill's Whip
There is only one thing now that can extinguish in an instant all the rumours of discontent in the Tory ranks over Mr. Churchill's leadership and that is a word from Mr. Churchill himself. It is a sign of the complete unreality of all talk about deposing him, whether it comes from back-benchers or from newspapers, that he himself could end it overnight and that he does not appear to think it merits even a flick of the whip that he carries in his own hands. In fact what matters is not the speculation about the possibility of the retirement of the Prime Minister, but the underlying factor which apparently drives some Tory M.P.s to seek relief for their feelings in such speculation—the Government's shaky performance in the ques- tions of fare increases, transport nationalisation and financial policy. It is obviously possible to prevent such tangles from occurring—to avoid hasty and detailed interference with the transport system when a general reduction of Government con- trol in is contemplation, to avoid putting housing subsidies up when food subsidies are coming down. It must be infuri- ating to watch, at close quarters, the mistakes being made. -But they are not all made by one Man. It is only with the aid of some very unhealthy definition of the word leadership " that all the failures, and successes, of a whole party can be attributed to its head. And the sins which would require so substantial a burnt offering as Mr. Churchill to cancel them would be great indeed. The plain fact is that none of the mis- takes so far made by the Government need be fataL And as to mistakes which might be made in the future through haste or inconsistency, they can be avoided by the exercise of a little care and a little courage all along the line.
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