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News From Britain by LES ARMOUR
London, Feb. 15.
TORTH Lewisham -
N a sleepy grey slice of
London rolling over the brow of a hill and deteriorat- ing us it falls --- is not place in which you would expect to and drama.
u
And, Indeed, the gargan- tuan efforts of two great political parties and one small but battling political organisation failed to pro- duce any real dramu.
The Socialists won the by- elretion this week and nearly choked themselves to death with their own cheers. It was the Grst time since the spring of 1039 that the opposition had won a seat in a by-election from the government.
Even that, however, could not produce real diena
Margin Less
What happened was that the Socialists polled ~ almost exactly the same cumber of votes ON
last had in the they
general election, while nearly 3,500 Con- servative voters slayed
And the Sociallst margin (1,100 votes) was less than the nurn- JAN of voles polled by the third comilclate (1,400).
Since the third earidate, an Independent Loyalis name Miss Leslie Greene, campaigned on a platform which might fairly be described as right-wing Con- pervative it is altogether sound to gas that some of her sup- porters might have voted Tory had she not been on the ballot More of them, of course, would probably have joined the stainers and the Socialist would probably have won anyway.
եր
a close thing-a But it wil very close thing.
The potential drama wus further diminished by the fact
tuit the Socialists chox to tight
the election on the governmenta rent bill und in particular against
a clause in that bill But will decontrol the rents of houses mostly occupied by middle class clizens who would normally vote Tory.
Stay Away
Was
THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23 1957
r Arat
"I thought fold you to stay out of sight while the judgos were around."
THE GREAT DELUSION
a "United States
T started with the Messina Brothers. And I do not
menn the brothers who run vice in Soho,
These new Messina Brothers are much more mencing they want to run all Europe's trade.
The Messina Brothers are Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxemburg, and Holland.
And they get their Messina tag from the unfortunate choice of that Sicilian town under the shadows of volcano Eina na a meeting place to plan their trade assault.
The Club
WHAT nu unholy alliance they are. Ger- my and France, who have been at each other's throats over the
of Europe
Frederick Ellis
Nallons. An impressive statis- teal glory that weighs all of 4lb. Take a look at unempiby-
the See how
11gures compare, expressed as 21 per
ប centage the 10tal labour force:
centuries. Now they ship, which is likely to in- coo and cuddle over trade. chude the Scandinavian | Italy who ratted on countries, Australia, and ment
| probably Switzerland. Germany when the war
Way.
started going the Allied Together the customers The nation that in this two-deck club would stäbbed France in the back be in the region of 240 mil- after the Hitler hordes had lion people. marched.
And Belgium, crushed by the Huns in two wars - Luxemburg
and
The Dole
Holland, THUS with the barriers who tasted German brutal- down Germany could ity in the last war,
Some thousands <if these volers seem to have been im- pressed enough to stay away from the polis.
But this
a by-election. In a general election they would have hud to choose between Tory and Socialist rent policies, The Tory polley faces themi
Now they plot and with higher rents and possible
form (though not probabic) eviction; together to The Socialist policy would make
ake European trading club, A United States of Europe for trade only.
the tenants of the local coun- cil by nationalising their houses. They would still be faced with idfier rents and possible (though not probable) eviction.
In short, in a general election the rent issue would more than likely negate itself.
So, although a national swing in the proportion of North Lewisham would give the Socialists 88 more stats (enough to forn) a governfiem) there is still no evidence that such a swing would really like place.
ed.
many ship as
cars into Britain AS she could sell. plan Now they come in Оп 21 restricted ration basis. So it would be with other goods.
24 new
A
But what about the British The Messina Brothers
car makers? And the goods of have already done this in other British Arms facing a steel and coal with atomic flood of foreign competition?
the cards, OIL power
Well, the sponsors of the plan common market, it is call- briskly suggest that if they can
not compete they will have to start making something else! Thus German steel, if Kindly they will be given help they have any to spare, can by an investment fund. flow Into Belgium without Customs or other duties.
Now the Messina Brothers
all other
goods, except
Whal does secm โด be troubling Tory politeal thinkers hope to du the same with and planners, however, is litat in all the revent Conservative voters have shown | food. very little enthusiasm for their parly,
by-elections
For a lot of reasons-must of which did not really come to
Investment fund my foot, A dole for unemployed factorles might be a better description of such a plan.
That bluntly is what the Messina Brothers
about. Let nobody imagine this is a brilliant new conception of
They plan to sweep away trading pepes, It was what the Customs posts, wipe Gladstone was saying back in out the import duty im- the last century.
the surface in North Lewisham-posis.
a very large number of Con- servatives are not, Just now, very keen on the government.
Aftermath
Probably, they are more be- wildered then angry.
The afterinaih of Sucz has left voters with a strong feelink} of frustration which is difficult to pin down.
The Threat
The..Wooing
TT is a planners' dream of THEY do not believe in haven. Or what the Ameri- tariffs except to cane colourfully call "ogghead Or what the French keep out of the Messina linking."
ppce called Maginot Line think
countries goods of those ing. countries who do not join
the great free trade jam- with this United States boreë.
of
Yet Harold Macmillun toys
Europe Trading Club.
With such tactics the Hò seeks to become the Isaac Akilin, Mr Macmillan's Messina Brothers hope to Wolfson of Westminster-with- crusade for the European com- bludgeon, the rest of Europe out Mr Wolfson's Inborn Hair moh, narkei has evokte, no en- thusiasm. Remarkably few into joining this free trade for trading..
people stem lo fiave done much áron.
thinking about it und those
The Messina Brothers of
who have (apart fegin. some Join our club or your cham
course, woo Britain with the the other Messina
human trading partriers.
profecatonat tconomists, old trade with us will suffer i Brothers used to woo their
fashioned free fraders, and the threkt. Join
idealists
Europe
-or, up
of the "ned up to a the tariff barriers against
school who do not
very large number) seen divid-you.
ed into two groups: Those, like
the
Socialists, who fear, that
The Messina plan is cosily
the pluft would impair Britain's called a common market.
and
plan
For is not Britain the biggest and bestest market in the club nrne?
Britain 13 still Germany's greatest competitor, Nobble Dri-
Ná own economy, with 161 million customers tain and heigh ha the Germans like the Tory tradi- living in the six coultries, will, indeed be in the pound
hat
tionalists, whic Lear
would weaken from
Commonwealth The rest of Europe cat seats.
tos and Jeopardise too many British Industries.
élther join os full members
-.or become nesubinte
All In all, looks members in what is called-
though Mr Macallan is going to be under heavy prisnite lo choose between heavy re think and a generat election, z
frés trade area.
Britli is coffeldering the free trade urda filmzbor:
Comparison
ارم ولد وام
ET,us tiamine the members
the
tattoo, statistics1; yedi booter at United
BRITAIN MESSINA ONLY..
. THE CLUB
1,5 %%%
5.41%
4.0.
would dearly love to get among our customers at the cost of British Industry,
There seans little hope of Bri ain boosting its sales propor- totiately in clubland. You can- not imagine the Austins push- ing the Volkswagens off
nads of Europe,
the
But you
can see the Volks cluttering up the roads of Bri-
ain and the Empire.
Yet, its ever, the politicians ure mesmerised by everything in Europe.
Never do they hoed a plan that would make Britain the world's most prosperous nation. The Empire trade plan, Here in the 'Empire is the biggest market of them all-850 million people, a vast, under-developed Innrket,
Compare it with the United Europe 240 million market,
Then look at the daily food where scope for expansion is so we eat. measure! il daily limited.
calories:-
BRITAIN 3,140 (35% mest) MESSINA 2,854 (30% ment) THE CLUB 2,941 (33% meat) And next the hourly wages paid to the workerTS;
BRITAIN MESSINA
THE CLUB
is
45. 4320. Zs. 8d. 39, 7d.
Peril
HE Empire trade market is what our politicians should be busy about, Expanding the Empire resources, developing the spending powers of the Empire peoples.
They should seek to maintain the system that gives two-way preference to nil peoples of the
You can go on for ever giving examples, In Britain the national income per head of £380. l the population Messina countries it is £247, Empire.
Or take care. There is a cur
Under the Messing Brothers'
the plan
Preference Empire would soon in Britain for every 14 of the
be a dead tries the ration is one people. But in the Messina coun- system
duck. car for every 20 people.
Oh yes, Britain is indeed pros. perous. The rest of Europe
For the expanding Empire market is a rich ground for the Messina Brothers to exploit-at Britain's cost and perli,
PHILIPS
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