The reasons that prompted or provoked Mr Macmillan to announce his decision to resign in the midst of the Conservative party’s conference at Blackpool last week remain a subject of speculation. There can be little doubt however that he could easily have avoided adding to the existing tension and confusion … Read More
The shadow of a united, revitalised and confident Labour party under the aggressive leadership of Mr Harold Wilson lay across Blackpool, famous for its beautifully illuminated waterfront, last Tuesday as over 4,000 delegates to the Conservative conference poured in for the annual get-together. Even before they began to grapple with … Read More
Last week millions of television viewers in this country saw and heard Governor Wallace of Alabama and extremist American young men brashly expound the doctrine of segregation. The Governor made great play with the assertion that the British adopted a holier than thou attitude because they were not faced with … Read More
It was obvious from the start that the 62nd annual conference of the Labour party at Scarborough would be in the nature of a pre-election rally at which the leadership would proclaim its faith in victory at the next elections and seek to impart this confidence to the rank and … Read More
The day after Mr Macmillan had read Lord Denning’s 50,000-word report on the Profumo affair and discussed it with his senior Cabinet colleagues, newspapers carried pictures of the Prime Minister with a broad smile on his face. The smile looked a little forced but it was a pleasant contrast with … Read More
Britain has been going through a period of masochistic introspection when the people are anxious to believe the worst about themselves. Every institution of which they used to be proud not so long ago is being held up to ridicule. Ridicule of the class system and its companion, the education … Read More
The dramatic, though not altogether unexpected, deterioration in Britain’s relations with Indonesia has once again brought into sharp locus questions relating to future military strategy. In view of Britain’s firm military commitment to the Malaysian Federation and the continuing threat to India, there is a general acceptance of the need … Read More
I am told on good authority that at the Socialist International Congress in Amsterdam this week several European delegates proposed the adoption of a resolution recommending specifically the imposition of economic sanctions against South Africa. The British Labour party delegation headed by Mr Harold Wilson himself strenuously opposed the move. … Read More
Thanks to the unceasing efforts of Yehudi Menuhin over the past decade discerning music lovers in this country were not altogether strangers to Indian music even before the Edinburgh Festival. Ravi Shankar had been here before and had held successful concerts. So had Ali Akbar Khan. But it is only … Read More
As the story goes, not long before his last illness Mr Aneurin Bevan got hold of a group of trade union leaders for a meeting of the Labour party national executive and angrily said to them: “You people no longer have the power to win us a general election. But … Read More
