6 DECEMBER 1963, Page 9

Long-Range Guessing So it is to be cold in December.

The first long-range weather forecast for Britain is a re-. markably cagey piece of soothsaying. Only eighty words, and only the last five of them, 'but little snow is expected,' could possibly be wrong. It is sad that the oracle can't be more precise. For all Mr. Erroll's sturdy confidence (Hinton, art tha' listenin' there below?), I have a feeling that both sides of Smith Square are for the first time taking a scientific interest in the weather. After all, the Labour Government in November, 1949, were-nine points behind on the Gallup Poll (now the Tory Government is eleven and a half points behind) and yet scraped home in February, 1950. But not after a 1962-63 winter. No one could have won after that.