Portrait of the Week
TO the discomfiture of some of the senior members of his own party, as well as of the Opposition, it was the voice of a schoolboy (Parliamentarily speaking) that rallied the Tory ranks after the.Budget debate. The rude bullying of Mr. Gaitskell and Mr. Wilson had left the Chancellor wrapped in sombre self-pity, a mood• that had transmitted itself to his supporters : but they were revived by Sir Edward Boyle's entertaining reply to the debate. Sir Edward, hardly out of his fagging days by Westminster standards, not only argued the Government's case much more convincingly than the Chan- cellor had been able to do, but also pulled. Mr. Gaitskell's leg so effectively that Mr. Gaitskell could not hide a blush. By Monday Mr. Butler had recovered sufficiently to lacerate Mr. Gaitskell on his own account. But his speech, though hearten- ing to Government back-benchers, did little to justify his autumn Budget. Its only positive effect has been to give the Opposition a unity it has not enjoyed for some years. The TUC, too, have been quick to tell the Chancellor, 'We told you so !' After a couple of hours' chat on Tuesday at No. 10, they issued a statement that economic difficulties arose because the Chancellor had not heeded their warnings last spring; they were not, therefore, prepared to deny that a Budget had become necessary; but they objected to its lack of equity.
The first grumblings over the fourteen-day rule were sounded in Parliament by Sir Robert Boothby, eliciting a feeble reply from the Prime Minister. But in effect the rule had already been well and truly broken by Sir Robert himself, in discussing the country's economic situation on Sunday's ITV programme `Free Speech.' The BBC, too, is showing signs of bestirring itself. Sir George Barnes, who a few years ago made an admir- able head of the Third Programme and has since been con- nected with teleyjsion, is moving to become Principal of the North Staffordshire University. This year's choice for the Royal Film Performance turned out a' flop for the umpteenth year in succession.
In deference to the angry criticisms that have been made year in year out about the quality of the entertainment provided on these occasions, the sponsors this year imported some well- chosen. friends to help them make their decision. The help did not entirely prevent the film from being as usual an insult to the intelligence of the audience; but at least this year it was not (as it has usually been) in bad taste, as well. No ! Olivier's film of Richard III was carefully rejected in case its unkind references to monarchs and bishops might be misconstrued. A motley collection of strikes heralded the approach of the industrial dispute season. The staff downed ladles at the Cum- berland Hotel when a cook and a waiter were discharged for calling a staff meeting during lunch. Rolls-Royce workers in Scotland came out because a fellow-employee was a 'work- hog.' At the Rover Motor factory an unofficial strike began over redundanty; an official arriving to give it the Union of Vehicle Builders' official benediction, found the men had gone back to work. 'You have whipped the ground from under our feet,' was his indignant comment. At Geneva the Foreign Ministers celebrated All Saints with a day off, Mr. Dulles flying to Madrid to pay a call on General Franco, the others looking out of their windows at the rain, and pondering the proposals Mr. Molotov had put forward for a European Security Treaty. The East German representatives have also put forward proposals for direct negotiations between the two German Parliaments on the composition of an all" • German consultative council, whose job it would be to prepare and present a. re-unification scheme. But the East German representatives are not admitted to the conference; their scheme was put forward by Mr. Molotov, though his proposals en' visage the indefinite division of Germany.
The negotiations at Geneva are still overshadowed by the threat of hostilities in the Middle East. The past few days have seen a reversion to the, state of simmering war that caused so much uneasiness earlier this year; with this additional worry— Egypt had not at that time found an alternative source from which to buy arms—a subject on which the Israeli Minister in Rome has had little satisfaction from his interview with Mr. Molotov. Israel continues to prodtice proof of infiltration by Egyptian irregulars over the Gaza demarcation line; Egypt continues to describe these attacks as 'protective measures prompted by Israel's provocative acts.' It would now require no very great provocation to tempt the Israelis into the preven• tive war for which many of them hanker—or at least into an act of aggression so violent that the Egyptians would lose face if it were not promptly avenged. And that might be the beginning of the end for Colonel Nasser, who can have no confidence that the Egyptian armed forces are yet ready for action.
In the Middle East, too, the Buraimi Oasis dispute continues on its malodorous way : but, much more serious, there remains the problem of Cyprus. General Harding has been back giving his views to the Government, and it is believed that he has indicated that the island cannot be held on its present basis-- a view which will have been underlined by recent events in Greece, where schoolchildren demonstrating against British, and American institutions have been fired on by the police. In France, the Moroccan Regency Council resigned, while M. Faure managed to cling on by his finger-nails to his majority over the question of proportional representation; he is substi• tuting a reputation for stamina for, the one he has lost for astuteness.
Miscellaneous information garnered during the week includes the announcement (which attracted surprisingly little notice) that the travel allowance is to remain the same. Travellers who make Paris their automatic first call may be interested to hear that only 17 per cent. of Paris householders (according to ti recent investigation) possess a bathroom. The proposals by the Oxford City Council to run roads through Christ Church Meadows and the Parks have been abandoned : instead, the city's General Purposes Committee has approved two :new routes for inner relief roads which will be discussed at next week's council meeting. And readers of The Times Law Report on October 28 learned that 'Common Front Door Did Not Mae Flats Brothel.'
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