The Emperor's clothes
Mr Enoch Powell's views on Rhodesia are unlikely to have come as a shock to readers of the SPECTATOR, since they differ little from our own. Nor is Mr Powell's espousal of them surprising, since he wrote much the same in the columns of this journal more than two years ago, while still a member of the Shadow Cabinet. The core of his argument is that for Rhodesia to go its own way as a foreign re- public would be infinitely preferable to—and more honourable than—a negotiated settle- ment because, in the words of his Wolverhampton speech on Friday last, 'so long as that political connection continued, even in the attenuated form of Common- wealth membership, there would always be the appearance, without the reality, of a cer- tain special responsibility on the part of this country for the future course of events in Central Africa.' In one sense the decision of the Conserva- tive Central Office to decline to issue this speech under its imprimatur was understand- able. Mr Powell invited the comments of the 'official Opposition spokesman on Rhodesia, Sir Alec Douglas-Home, on what he pro- posed to say before he said it. Having re- ceived these comments, he then disregarded them. As he clearly intended to go ahead anyway, he would surely have been better advised to inform Sir Alec rather than to pretend to consult him.
The withdrawal of Central Office distribu- tion facilities would cause little inconvenience to Mr Powell. Those who suggest that he was sabotaging chances of a Rho- desian settlement surely underestimate the enthusiasm of both front benches and the majority of backbench opinion on both sides in this country, as well as majority opinion among Europeans in Rhodesia-,lor negotia- tion. Moreover, Mr Wilson still hankers after solving his Cuba,'. while ,the Tories would dearly love the whole. awkward business to be removed from the political 'agenda before they resume office. It Will, alas, take more than Mr Powell to avert a' phoney 'solution to the Rhodesian tragedy, With an the Oros. peels of future embarrassment which such a settlement would involve, just as it will wice more than Mr Powell to deter-the Tory-party from-its foolish enthusiasm for a British mili- tary 'presence' east Of Suez. _ One day both our political parties will have to reconcile themselves to the end of Empire: the mass of the voters in • the country hase done so long ago. Meanwhile Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet alike will continue to de- itOnnee Mr Powell for daring to suggest that the Emperor is not wearing any clothes.
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