IIRISTOPHER BOOKER writes:
Whenever journalists get together to award each other prizes as 'Best Female TV Critic of the Year' and so on, they should in all gratitude in- clude a new category for award—that of 'Journalists' Standby of the Year.' This should go to the public figure who could most consistently be relied upon to turn up on a dull night with some absurd statement, that can then be thank- fully bannered across the front pages under the
headline OUTBURST,' followed for a few days by counter-outbursts, under such headlines as
"SLUR" CLASH ROW FLARES.' Ideally, of course, such figures must have short, punchy, names—like Wigg and Hogg—and, as luck would have it, often do. But if Messrs. Wigg and Hogg would seem at present to be front runners for any such nomination in 1965, there is a formidable challenger coming up on the rails—in the shape of Mr. Edwatd du Cann.
When, last week, Mr. Wilson chose Friday afternoon as a good time to publish his Steel White Paper—and Saturday morning as a good time to publish his new list of life peerages, in- cluding the name of Lady Churlhill—it would not have taken a raving conspiracy-theorist to Conclude that he was taking fairly normal, sen- sible precautions to ensure that steel would get slightly less publicity than if he had chosen, say, to announce the thing standing naked on a Down- ..ing Street balcony in front of Panorama cameras on a Monday night. As David Wood, the political Correspondent of The Times, put it : 'Con- servative MPs suspected that Mr. Wilson, a shrewd public relations tactician, had arranged the [Peerages] announcement at a moment when it would attract some public attention away from
the White Paper.' But, however the news was 'managed,' steel would be likely to lead most front pages the next morning—and so indeed, on
Saturday, it proved. Only the Daily Sketch bothered to clear its front page for Lady Chur- chill, most papers tucked the life peerages fairly Well away, and the Guardian's headline to the Story ran simply 'DR. SOPER AMONG NEW LIFE But all this was not enough for the headline- hungry chairman of the Conservative Party. Fresh from his triumph over the Daily Mail's front page on Thursday-4SMEARMASTER wIGO BY DU cANN'—on Saturday he issued a special statement. As the Sunday Express put it, under the huge headline 'LADY CHURCHILL: IT WAS WIL- SON RUSE SAYS TORY' : 'In a savage new twist to the steel storm last night, Mr. Edward du Cann ... hurled the accusation that the Prime Minister had deliberately timed the announcement of Lady Churchill's peerage to distract public attention from the steel bill.' Unfortunately for those who believe in Government by public relations.' said Mr. du Cann, 'it did not work out like this.' Un- fortunately for those who believe in Opposition by public relations, Mr. du Cann's statement did not work out either. By Monday morning he had not only been swatted down easily enough by Mr. Herbert Bowden—`Only a Chairman of the Conservative Party would imagine that it was possible to influence in this way the judgment of the editors of our free press of the relative im- portance of various news items'—but he had even aroused all the synthetic ire of the Daily Express for. 'dragging Lady Churchill's name into partisan politics' and for the 'extraordinary blunder' of 'crediting the. Prime Minister with a remarkable degree of cunning.' Perhaps the Express's glee in compiling its leader was sharpened by the thought that, before making his statement, Mr. du Cann must have consulted with his new adviser Mr. T. F. Thompson—who was until recently political editor of the Daily Mail. After all, it is bad enough the chairman of the Conservative Party not having the first idea how newspapers work; but at least his press adviser should.
Mr. du Cann must by now be sorry he ever thought of this Particular line of attack. Accord- ing to the Daily Express, he told reporters after a Birmingham meeting on Tuesday night : 'If I said anything to, embarrass Lady Churchill, I regret it very deeply.'
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