GREAT BRITAIN IS
窳 country that specialises in bloodless. revolutions. Great Bri- tain is a country that clings to tradition, Great Britain is a country that is constantly under- going a process of change. Great Britain is....
but perhaps we had better get on with our argument.
Having had the pleasant seeing the experience of Queen open the Canadian Parliament, I went down to
THE CHINA. MAIL, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 21, 1957.
TWILIGHT OF THE
ARISTOCRACY
ait in the Commons and there- thus saving the aristocracy from fore could never hope to hold being
by: overrun high effee, for the simple fellows who have made
own way and have no forbears
social апу of
consequences whatsoever.
reason that the Commons, being the elected assembly and there- fore the masters, would never consent to a Minister of vital importance sitting in the Upper Chamber where he would be out of their reach.
On his father's death, Quintin appealed to be relieved of title but was turned down.
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VET
a new dignity to the Upper parties round the house and your lordships a peculiarly dis-
ordinary Chamber.
their But if it seems, we pre zeeing the twilight of the old aristocracy, let 转 not be imagined that s gradual dis-
Honour
YE cialists will welcome the
grounds.
Dignity
appearance will produce nothing HAROLD Macmillan, by his
Crown when
but good.
In the 1914. war,
long before conscription was M- seo her perform the Бате
sons of the great I believe that the So- forced, the his duty at Westminster. There
old country houses did not wait went al were great crowds en route,
conscription" bu! · change. There is
baale for 2 despite the fact that the Under Moumlilan's new plan, dignity in the plan which will
onco into the hell of war. And Upper Chamber will be create "Lords of Parliament long before the National Health weather was in a petulant the and tearful mood. First greatly strengthened by senior and paradoxically the title will Scheme and Old Age Pensions
members al The there would be a glint of Commons who will be
House of acquire an added dignity from came into being the squire and lady looked after their created the fact that it is non-hereditary his sunshine, then a splash of peers of Parlament, mont and cerries no succession. tenants as if they were members ralu, and just for a change honourable degree and all the Undoubtedly, the wils will say of the family-at pny rate, up Today the nout that the now life peers will be to a point. there would be a soggy grey better because the title will not
be hereditary. Nor
the like
the mule which has no country house has almost dis- mist, and so it went on process to be
where the except confined to one pride of ancestry nor hope of appeared.
o halt without stop.
EUX. Macmillan will have the future, but
remains owners charge the fact
et weekends power to create peeresses, it he that the honour of being a ndmision Inside the House of Lords, thinks that they have deserved "Lord of Parliament" will add the lord of the manor conducts there wa the usual brant the honour, and if they will! scene with Peers sparting their bring special qualifications coronets, and Pegresses ginting the Upper House, with jewellery. A stranger see- might
There ing it for the first time
however, one the well have felt that nothing had obvious diflculty which changed in the last Three Prime Minister will have to I! non-hereditary hundred years. But the stranger consider. would have been wrong. By peers of Parlament give a lot the authority of the Prime of their time to the Upper Minister we were to hear Her Chamber they will have to be Majesty announce that In due paia leasonable remuneration, course there would be legisla- But does that mean that what 11on
buckwoods which would virtually are known as the amount to a bloodless revolution, peers will
pald, even though they seldom turn up? This is a difficult problem, but
A few weeks ago. I ventured
رنا
also be
to prophesy that Macmillan obviously Macmillan intends to
create Lords of Parilament, drawn from the Industrial and
would probably reform the House of Lords by introducing life peerages, but 1 never professional classes, as well as imagined that it would come from the Commons. about so suddenly.
In the afternoon debate on the Queen's speech in the Lominions, Me Macmillan calm
tcld members that this was not a time for an ambitious reheme of reform in the Upper House, but no one was deceived as to the reality of what wes happening.
Reality
"DOES this
mean that no more hereditary peerages will be created?" asked F Social front bencher.
"Not at all," said the Prime Minister.
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Undoubledly the intention of the Prime Minister is, first, to create a vital Upper Chamber and gradually and the best way of making it work,
Usually when constitutional changes take place there is a particular case which makes it
that inevitable
the existing system has to be revised. Suen u case was that of Clem Attlee the Leader of the Socialst Porty. I have mentioned this example before, but now we must look at it again in the knowledge that it has undoubt- edly played a part in these reform to be about.
causing brought
Clem Attlee, as a Socialist, Best represented the tough London constituency of Lime-
Somehow that terse reply house, and although belonging did not carry conviction, 【 have a feeling that we shall see very few hereditary preroges created from now on, and they will likely be Influenced in choice where there is no direct beir.
to the comfortable middle closses, he never halted in his #ght to raise the status of the under-privileged. Yet when he gave up Parliament he accepted ап carldom (which wis his right by long established custom) and thereby created no Inevitably the question arises less than five other "courtesy" as to whether Great Britain is titles. moving towards the North American system of society and intends ta substitute the aristocracy of wealth for the long established system of tiles. Lel there be no mistake about
wife became the British -ase. very fond of
countess, his three daughters, money and comforts that come Who were married. became with 1. but they are not yet Lady Gertrude Smith, Lady ready to worship at the feel of Helen Brown and Lady Mary Mammon. Nor is that (kely to
(or whatever their change for a long time. But, Green
married names happen to be)
*
Thus his
realists, the British feel that and Altice'a Son and hele
It is no use trying to perpetuate became Q courtesy viscount.
to alt in
a system of hereditary Lard Attlee's defence would be aristocracy when taxation and death duites make It Impossible. that he had no part in creating the system of hereditary tilles and that he wanted the Upper House with the title of Earl, which is automatically conferred upon a retiring Primc Minister if he will accept it.
Strange as it may seem there is le doubt that the activities pf the pipsqueak peers- Altrincham, und Landonderry bod something to
with hastening these new reforms. If these young inen had been polid and obscure "Misters" no one would have paid any attention to their bleatings. As It is they are world famous and still of news value.
NE
Regality
Oddly enough Ramsay Mac- Donald, who was not only the Brst Socialist to become Brush Prime Minister but possessed more than his share of vanity, refused to accept. any title of all when he resigned from Parliament. When asked him why he had come to thet decision, he answered in his rich Scottish voice: "For years and years my shermon Lossiemouth (his constituency) have called mo"Jamie'. Do you think I'm going to see them caps and address touch their
NEVERTHELESS the necessity for a change was not brought about by public irritation or any rush of democracy to the head. Basically the Engilshman, the me as 'milord'?" Welshman and even the Scot
ia
Jn
I am well aware that many te the existence of great
readers will feel that the whole country houses Fet vast estatea
successive question of titles has become ali tut Chancellors of the Exchequer anachronism based on nothing have, by raising death duties, but privilege and snobbery, I forced the old families to sell that point of view is sincerely more and more of their land, held then we should not only
but abolish titles And with
ol problem domestic servants, many of the monarchy which is based upon institution landed aristocracy can only the non-democratte
Thus the way would afford to occupy one wing of of birth,
the
alio the
be cleared for the aristocracy of
their house and grub along as wealth no malter how it was
best they eam,
accrmulated..
·
But there were other dis- advantages
As a result of Macmillan's hereditary In the
indeed to system. In Britain the natural proposals we moy instinct of a young man of good seeing the begining of the end hereditary Litica Camily is to fight his way into of creating Parliament Yet, If he is the except within the Royal Circle. a revolution in Racit hele to a peerage, his political This is future is limited. The classic but a revolution that will not example is Lord Hall ham, the only be bloodless but will bo Hively
chairman
the supported by publle opinion. of Conservative Party. 'He has a brilliantly audacious mind and These proposed changes of certainly enlivened our debates Harold Macmillan will not take- in the Commons, but to his place in a day, There will be horror he saw his father, the attemple to waler; down the dormer Sir Douglas, Hogg bad plan and to delay it in the cine been raised to the poorage, poctation that the Bochlists This meant a political death will win the next election. (Thu) sentericé to his son Quintin, the backwoods" pencat will be who, on bls father's death, looking (hopefully.metrom the would no longer be eligible to Socialate coming to power and
*
plan of Parliamentary reform, will strengthen the dignity of the Upper Chamber by bringing The it into line with reality, Lord Chancellor will sit wear his robce as ho slip on The Woolsack. and we shall con- tinue to hear the familiar words: in debate. "The noble lord who aus just sat down has given
LONDON LETTER
torted interpretation of the Bill Awhich has come to us from an- other place." And once year the Queen, as a Peeress, will open Parliament in the Upper House, because under no possible 'conditions would she be allowed
in the House to set foot Commons.
of
Thus wilt the British bring. about the reform of the Upper Chamber while maintaining the
and troppings procedure ancient ilmez.
THE END
Sir Beverley Baxter M.P.
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