The trials and
THE CHINA MAIL, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12,1961, A
tribulations
of a prime minister
Mr Macmillan
is told: 'You are a
HE British Parliament has risen for the long
THE
- vacation and the MP's have scattered to their constituencies or gone abroad to soothe their nerves and to seek tranquillity in the hills or lakes or by the sea.
Harold Macmillan is join-¡———
ing in shoots and also sook who was Canadian ing solace in the books that General. abound in his library, but overy day the despatches from Whitehall will be sent to him,
For him there is no rest but at least he will not have to face the ordeal of a Parlament which seems to have temporarily lost
its dignity and at times even its basic decency.
In the final debate, before the Parliament adjourned for summer госеза there were scenes that made one wonder if democracy is the rule of the people or the rule of the mob.
The kill
One of the last debates of the session was on the economic situation of the nation, and the Socialists went full out for the kill. Hugh Galiscell, the Leo- der of the Opposition, is normal- ly courteous and is not without a pleasant charm, but in
this occasion he speech, on seemed determined to rival the wild men behind him who were shouting for Macralian's head on a platter.
his
Governor-
In the established tradition Macmillan married the Duke's daughter, and thus we have had the unusual spectacle of "Mister" Macmillan being married to Lady Dorothy Mac- millan. However when Mr Mac- milian retires from polities he will be given an Earldom which will balance the lle problem.
Melodrama
I have given you this picture so that you will understand the suppressed excitement at West- minister when. It was announced that the House of Commons would debate whether or not Britain should join the Common Market.
It is not my intention to do propaganda efther way but rather to describe the sud- den drama-and almost melo drama.
national
disaster'
Sir Beverley Baxter's LONDON LETTER
keeping an open mind although
had he
every intention of lading Britain into the aring of the Common Market.
Then with his voice rising to "It express authority he said; may be that the negotiations will fall to the ground within a fw weeks. There will be very of grave effects for the le Europe if that happens. It may be that it will proceed in a very delmiled way, over a great num
details, commodity by commodity. Then it will be put to Parliament.”
Mr Macmillan took upon him- bate in the Communs and need-ro self the task of opening the de- legs to say the House was crowded to its deepest density. Would the Prime Minister take
double-talk? political
(Shouts of "nonsense!")} Whereupon Mr Fell de- clared that. he
ad- mired Macmillan but now regarded him as a national dienster.
once
Somewhat startled the Pritne Minister rose to intervene but Mr Fell refused to give way, "No?" he shouted, "1 can be told to sit down by Mr Speaker, bul cannot be fold to sit down by
seene
the Prime Minister." And thus he concluded his Intervention.
Looking ou the With the whips on? shouted thought of the Prime Ministers the plunge and declare thai Britain would make common the Specialists. In other
who have held supreme once in the twenty-six years that I have been a member of Parla-
of the Common Market!
cause with the Common Market?
Very wisely
Macmillan but balanced the arguments undoubtedly the trend of his speech was that he would ex- "The Prime Minister" he plore every avenue and he had sneered "in a splendid le doubt that the United showman, but when the Kingdom would reach an agree showman is shown up, the ment with the existing members play Is over, illusion Is shattered, and it in time for the players to depart."
Whereupon A Soctalist MP
Mhemian pointed
and shouted: "For God's sake gol" felt
Pandemonium broke out with insults being hurled from both siden. In fact it reached such an uproar that Mr Speaker In- tervened. With his suave calm voice be sald: "Order! Order!" as if we were unruly urching out
of hand.
Laughter
The House momentarily calm- ed down, whereupon Mr Speaker smilingly remarked: "I cannot hear the jokes!" Whereupon both sides broke into roar of laughter.
In favour
Very cautiously Mr Macmillan his way in the opening minutes of his speech. He dent with the various points that had been raised by Hugh Getiskeli, the Leader of the Opposition.
wurits
would it be a free vote or would the party discipline be in force? Slowly, but with abvious de- termination, the Prime Minister declared that it would be his duty to advise Her Majesty to confirm that the opinion of Par- liament would be a matter for the Government to decide.
Incredible
It
worded It could have been
could with more subtlety. have been expressed with less bluntness. What Macmillan hud decision would be made by the Government supporters trooping through the voting lobby. And
sold in effect Was that The
of
fure when I was the editor mens and also in the years he- the Sunday Express and then the Editor of the Daily Express.
Condemned
I von
remember when Ram-
མ
ALL MY OWN
"No, that's not it, Charlio. Apart from its inferior brushwork, it ain't got that translucorit
gaiety with the doop tonal qualities."
THE Hon.
London Express Service.
WILLIAM
FOLLOWS IN FATHER'S
ON
an August day 47 years ago a major literary event took place during a family holiday at Broadstairs. The father of the family, a successful barrister, was suddenly doubled up with violent ulcer pains.
Not a common prelude to literary inspira- tion you may think. But this was not a common sort of ulcer victim.
Recovering in bed he soon tired of gazing out at the sky through the boarding-house window, He had often com- plained that thriller writers never took enough traube over
sny Macdonald, os the emer-making their books really intel- gency Pramler ta the late 1020 ligent and convincing. Hu de- vas shouted down in the Com- cided to write one himself. mons with cries of: "For God's suke go!"
I can remember when Neville Chamberlain was cheered to the
Munich with the Hitler meeting echo when he came back from
and how he was condemned
Skilfully and patiently then the incredible happened.
Inter on for what he did. I can Macmillan gave the impres-
remember when Churchill was We have in our Tory ranks a sion that he was in favour
business so disregarded that no competent youngish
wanted him as a writer 03 politician.
of Britain joining the West man, named Anthony Feil, who European community yet emigrated in reverse-that Is he he was fully aware of emigrated from New Zealand Britain's duty to the Com- England. monwealth.
Whips on?
Quietly, and rather slowly, "I would venture to remark, perhaps rashly,"
said Mr the Prime Minister massed his Speaker, "that the House would points which
be
hnd the
up-
A poorer place if somebody pearance of an open mind. His did not shout, sometimes, but manner and his choice of words really If there is so much noise
that we cannot debate, I doubt whether
serve Our own
interest."
*
we
I have given you this picture
of the closing scenes of Parla- ment before the long summer recess, not as a normal proce- dure but rather to show the strain which is placed upon the man who leads a Government under democracy.
Certainly it is the duty of the Opposition to op. pone, but when opposition becomes purely destructive, and shouting displaces ar- gument, then one wonders 17 Parliamentary dema- cracy is really the highest expression of a
free noclety.
Incident
Yet the most dramatic and un- expected ineldent in the closing hours of the session happened couple of days later when Mr Macmillan opened a two days' debate on whether Great Britain should join the Common Market in Europe.
One doca not need to be a dramatist or a trained politician to realise how delicate and how dimoult is the role of Mr Mac- millan. It in true that there is Cabinet remparability
but the ultimato decision, right or wrong, must finally rest on tho Prune Minister alone.
It is not as if Macmillan has 1lved all his Ilfo in Britain. After being three times wound- od in the 1014 war while serving with the Grenadier Guards, he turned to more peaceful activi- dies and woke meni to Ottawa an ADC to the Duke of Devonshire
gave the impression that he was
He has been a good member of the Commons without ever uaking the chandeliers tremble.
And suddenly he leapt to
his feet, white with anger, and pointing at the Prime "Is Minister he shouted: the Prime Minister aware that
hos he
mode 11 shocking statement full of
one
Now the pack is howling as they smell the scent Macmillon is facing hard months ahead.
In bed he took some paper and wrote: "I returned from the City about three o'clock on that May afternoon pretty well dis-
you
tree months in the Old Cotin- with life. i had been gusted fry and was fed up with it."
Can you identify the novel
Even if not, from that? will certainly recognise its title. The author's wife had rela- tives staying in Broadstairs who had access down some rickety wooden steps to a private beach. Thinking of his children playing en that beach while he wrote, the barrister called his book: THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS.
No decline
ROBERT
PITMAN
on books
Tweedsmuir John Buchan died.
With any
other author, after the
usual posthumous dip in sales, it would be time to ask; "W there ever be a revival of
ls books?"
39 STEPS
took place. It
event.
August, another Buchon event wealth that we noticed. My
wes
a double mother's family were terribly easy-going and sophisticated. We were all much more in awe of our grandmother on father's side.
On that day Buchan's THE DANCING FLOOR (Hodder, 2. Gd.) appeared as M paper" back.
This novel-with fis wild numi-Greek heroine and a plot centred round a mysterious and nasty cult sacrifice on a modern Greek island is nutable for having more sex-interest than the rest of Buchan's two or Three dozen books put together.
The heroes of other Buchan bucks take cold baths and con- Ane their admiration of women to such points as robust health, and clean, boyish fine stride, good looks.
"Gad, the's a miler!" eries one Buchen hero in delight when a lady named Saskia hores
from her vile Bolshevik pursuers.
away
our
"She was an amazing woman. Although she could be very stern. I can remember her telling us weird and wild folk stories while we lay in bed. Of course there was always
that mixture about my father too. He was a romantic with an in- tense self-discipline. He was t great walker. One hot summer day he walked 00 miles.
"He would read his thrillers to us in the evenings while he was at work on them. We used to alt round the fire with my mother at our house in Oxford- shire while he read.
"He mode no fuss about writ- ing. We could run in and out while he worked. And he was always ready to stop and help us ar south as we started writing Another Buchan hero falls in
were for ourselves. We
ali love with a girl when he saw writing, of course. My mother how she handled a stampede of still writes. Her next novel is horses. Another picks a wife coming out at the end of the who was a noted walker and
year. She has read through my "famous for her wind."
novel and helped me with bar criticisms."*
But there will be no Buchan revival because there has never bren n Buchan decline.
At this very moment all over reading how the world people will still be Richard Hannay, prelly well disgusted with life, returned to his flat near Port- land-place and how he later found his neighbour, Scudder, with "a long knife through his The Dancing Floor in this But, despite the distinction of heart which skewered him to the floor."
As for Anthony Fell? He has chosen a lonely path in the precincts of Wesimins- ter. It takes courage to be a rebel, for when he walks on the Terrace, the very
You can see why I call that river will seem Indifferent a major event. It is 21 years to him as it wends its way since as Governor-General of excellent to the sex.
Canada, with the title Lurd 47
respect, its relssue on Thursday For such readers I now have
is far less intriguing than the of an entirely news.
Recently appearance
new Buchan thriller. Its tue: Усого after that distant
HELEN ALL ALONE (Duckworth, 153.). Its author: the Hon. William Buchan, second son of John Buckan.
"The one they'vo takon down over tho plano was me with my old battalion at the Victory Parado."
London Kxores Bacalco,
His first
They forget
elded to write a Buchan thriller Why has William Buchan de-
at the age of 457 He said;----
"You know, if you have, a fancy title everybody thinks you must be rich too. My father used to epil Honourable an eighteenth-century vulgorism→→ but he saddled me with it. William Buchan, who runs a
Then, of course, people remen- public relations firms, has writ- ber that I'm related to the ten an earlier novel and a book Grosvenors, What they forget ut verse. But this is his frat
is that my mother the Secret Service novel in the true daughter of a third on-and Buchan tradition.
that third son's father was a Fecond Bon. I tell you I need the money from this book. If I am to have
any money, it's simply got to do well."
It is also, so far as 1 know, the first Secret Service novel by any auther, living or dead, with a woman for its centrai charac- ter.
It impressed me so much that I sought out in author at his Pall Mall club, the Travellers'.
Willam Buchon was born in 1910. But his face is still boyish. While we drank ica and munched tea-cakes Jie talked about life in the Buchan house- hold.
As I left the Travellers' Club I reflected that it was not the such a typical Buchan setting kind of adinisalon which Buchan hero would ever have to make, But there was something else that William Buchan had told me.
"I wrote the boole, quite des berately to my father's plan he had explained. "The more I read his books again, the THOTO I admire them. They have moral strength and pur-
Hie mother is a Grosvenor, a close relation of the Duke of Westminster. Willem Buchan poz."
told ine:-
"Of course, my father and my mother came from entirely different backgrounds. Even as chlidren we noticed the contrasi clearly.
Wild stories
"My father camo from a Presbyterian manso his mother's family were elicop farmers at a time in, Scotland when sheep farming must have been tough. When he first won sehoinrahip to Oxford he was so poor he could not afford to dine in the college hall,
"Mind you, it was the differ Lenco in "atútudo rather than
At home. I looked at some of the recent novels on my shelves. There was hardly one with a hero of whom you could soy unything like that. The Buchan heroes are pimplo enough. Their loyalties are un- Aubtle. Their patriotism is auto- matic,
*
But they have something that #o many more modern heroes Jack, Determination. You are Interested in whether they fall or succeed because they are, desperately interested too,
For the same reason I think you will be interested in the fate of Helen in Helen All Alone ***OVEN if she is sibt so boy- shaped and not quite so coldly chaste as the girls who delight od heroes like Richard Hanter.
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