A IN THE 30 YEARS I HAVE BEEN COMING HERE, MOSTLY AS A PARLIAMENTARIAN AND SOMTIMES AS A MINISTER, I'VE NEVER KNOWN
A TIME WHEN WE HAVEN'T HAD THAT SORT OF THING SAID ABOUT US. MAINLY, I THINK, IT IS NOT FOR ME TO CRITICISE PRESS MEN OR TROADCASTERS: OF COURSE, THEY DO THEIR JOB ACCORDING TO THEIR
LIGHTS, BUT WHEN THEY COME TO OUR COUNTRY THEY DON'T SEEM TO GET MUCH FURTHER AFIELD THAN THE KIND OF COCKTAIL CIRCUIT OF VERY
CENTRAL LONDON, SO IT'S HARDLY TO BE WONDERED AT. NO - THEY'VE WITTEN US OFF TIME AFTER TIME. THEY'VE BEEN WRONG EVERY TIME AND
THEY'RE WRONG NOW. I WANT TO SAY THAT I DON'T BELIEVE IN
RECIPROCATION. THERE HAVE BEEN PEOPLE IN OUR OWN COUNTRY WHO WERE
TRYING TO WRITE OFF THE UNITED STATES AT VARIOUS TIMES IN THE LAST
FEW YEARS. I HAVE ALWAYS EXPRESSED MY FULL CONFIDENCE IN THE
UNITED STATES EQUALLY WITH THE FUTURE OF BRITAIN, AS FOR
COMMUNISM IN THE TRADE UNIONS IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PROBLEM AND I
HAVE ALWAYS FOUND THAT WHILE WE HAVE NO POLITICAL COMMUNIST PROBLEM AT ALL - 1 SAW A STATEMENT THIS WEEK, WAS IT, 17,000 VOTES IN THE LAST ELECTION OUT OF 30 MILLION, NOT A VERY HIGH RATE THERE, SO FAR AS THE UNIONS ARE CONCERNED, ANY EXTREMIST SECTION OF
COURSE GET THEIR CHANCE TO FLOUR ISH WHEN THEY SEE GOVERNMENT POLICIES OF A KIND WHICH SEEMS TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST TRADE
UNIONISTS GENERALLY, OR IS BASED ON CONFRONTATION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE TRADE UNIONS. WE ARE STILL PAYING A PRICE, IN
MY VIEW, FOR THE CONFRONTATIONS OF THE EARLY 70'S, AND WHILE
THERE ARE DIFFICULTIES IN GETTING A SYSTEM BASED ON CONSENT AND
CO-OPERATION, WE BELIEVE THAT THAT IS GOING TO SUCCEED, BUT OF COURSE THERE ARE ALWAYS THOSE WHO CAN FEED ON ANY GRIEVANCES,
PARTICULARLY THOSE INHERITED FROM THE YEARS BEFORE WE CAME IN TO
OFFICE.
Q PRIME MINISTER, AT THE END OF THE KINGSTON CONFERENCE WE
GOT A RINGING DECLARATION OF SUPPORT FROM THE COMMONWEALTH FOR
IRITAIN'S CONTINUED MEMBERSHIP OF THE EEC. DID YOU GET A MATCH-
ING DECLARATION OF SUPPORT FROM PRESIDENT FORD?
A. WE DIDN'T DISCUSS THAT. WE HAD SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT IT IN
JANUARY BUT I WOULD IMAGINE THAT IT WOULD BE, FROM ALL P’'VE HEARD
THE IR HOPE THAT WE SHALL BE IN A POSITION TO HELP THE GENERATION
OF OUTWARD-LOOKING POLICIES IN EUROPE, BUT HE DID NOT EXPRESS ANY VIEW ON THE MATTER WHICH IS DUE TO BE SETTLED BY A DEMOCRATIC
ELECTION, THE REFERENDUM, IN OUR COUNTRY. IT IS CERTAINLY THE
CASE THAT WE DID GET THIS RINGING DECLARATION FROM THE COMMON-
WEALTH. IT IS ALSO THE CASE THAT AT NO POINT DID I SEEK IT AND
/ INDEED WHEN
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