Conservative kidology
Sir: Many outside his own party have hitherto admired Mr Maudling despite his serious mishandling of the economy before Labour took over in 1964. and his failure since to admit his share of the blame. I am now among those who are disillusioned. The Home Secretary's brutal and inhuman decision over Rudi Dutschke shows either that we misjudged hind, or that he is not strong enough to stand up to the 'rightist' pressure on him from Tory back benchers and rank and file backwoodsmen in the country. The newly elected Nip for Kemp Town Brighton is but one who has publicly voiced support for the Home Secretary's decision, and there are no doubt many others of the same ilk. West German opinion is shocked, and it seems likely that public and private pro- tests from that quarter will follow.
This Government, I thought, was elected to control and lower prices and taxes, to do it quickly, and to stop inflation. Mr Heath and his colleagues often used the word 'immediate' in their speeches on rv and at 'closed shop' Tory meetings during the General Election campaign.
In addition they gave a firm undertaking to abolish sEr in their first budget. By next May therefore everyone will be able to assess whether this pledge was as big a hoax as Con- servative party lidology. has so far turned out to be over the cost of living, reduced taxation, and inflation. What the Tories were not put into power to do was to harass, persecute and turn out a sick visitor in our midst who has scrupulously honoured the conditions laid down by Mr Maudling's predecessor governing his stay in Britain.
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