TNAG-0115-FCO40-151-Departmental-briefs-for-Commonwealth-Prime-Minister-s-and-ot-1969 — Page 100

Draft for a speech on "World Security Problems" to be

delivered by the Minister Without Portfolio, The Rt. Hon. George Thorson, M.P., to members of the 1969 Spring Visit of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association at Westminster Hall on Thursday, 27th March, 1969

Lord Shepherd's unavoidable absence abroad, which makes it

necessary for him to miss this meeting, for which he asks me

to express his regrets, gives me the great pleasure of taking

his place. Although no longer the Minister here responsible

for Commonwealth Affairs I retain the great interest in these

which I have always had. I am most happy also to retain as a

member of its General Council my personal links with the

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association.

2. I much hope that you are enjoying your stay in this

country. It is always a pleasure for those of us whose

Parliamentary duties are carried on here to be able to welcome

to Britain fellow legislators from the other Commonwealth

countries. We benefit greatly from the opportunity to hear

from you how problems which we all face look when viewed from

your home countries. Now that the Commonwealth's 28 member

states cover the whole world, include all races and religions

and embrace rich and poor, aligned and non-aligned states, we

have even more to learn from one another than used to be the

when a much smaller Commonwealth was much more homogeneous.

And being now a true microcosm of the non-Communist world,

comprising a quarter of the whole world, any conclusions we may

reach should be of important significance to others as well as

to us.

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