Promoting from the ranks of the potential rebels
Hugh Macpherson
At a time in my life when I was trying, quite vainly, to acquire some expertise in the esoteric realm of higher physics a fellow student of some ability told me that one of my cardinal faults was that I could not think negatively. "In considering structures," he said, in dehydrated tones which I understand now bore many a student to death in a famous university, "forget what is there and think of the spaces." This proved of no help whatsoever in my quest for scientific knowledge but it has now, at long last, proved of quiet inestimable value — in understanding what Mr Heath is doing with his government.
The only way that the reshuffle can be understood is in negative terms. Despite the splendid list of appointments — and surely some latter day poetaster could rise to a verse about the Earl of Limerick taking the Tory Whip and being made a Minister of State in the course of one week — only five ministers were axed. Eleven new backbenchers joined the Government but this was mainly due to the formation of the new ministry under Mr Whitelaw in Ulster, and the creation of Mr Chataway's new team to develop industry at the taxpayers' expense. Mr Pym is soon to have another couple of Whips which will take the payroll vote of the government to around eighty. When that staunch body of government loyalists the PPS's (the Patently Promotable Servants) are added the government has more than a hundred unswerving loyalists. And only five ministers have been dispatched to the knacker's yard.
Mr Heath will not doubt be well satisfied with his work for it is geared to his obsession with pushing Britain into Europe. For example the direct promotion of Mr Robin Chichester-Clark is an act of gross political cynicism. Only a week or two before his immediate elevation to the rank of Minister of State he was publicly proclaiming that he might have second thoughts about staying at Westminster because of the Government's direct rule decision. Now he is firmly in the middle ranks of the Government — and a dangerous influence among the rebellious Ulster MPs has been scotched. It is the swiftest seduction since Don Juan abandoned women and took to late-night feasting with stone statues.
The retention of Sir John Eden and his promotion to the Privy Council and the delicate job of handling broadcasting, allied to the disposal of Mr Ridley, is almost equally cynical. True, Sir John served Mr John Davies at the DTI with the kind of devotion that Mr Jenkins reserves for Mr Wilson in the Labour party. He Wtbase also a senior minister during ell med. debacles over which Mr Davies Pre,s:1ry' But he is a man of considerable au'rile with a great deal of sympathy With_io, Powellite free-market view of econnirose so he was much too dangerous to let 1°,4e on the backbenches in a disgruntled state of mind. On the other hand Mr l`lic,11,°is, Ridley could be safely let loose since Lure to put it bluntly, not a greatly loved among his colleagues. The dangers of a revolt over ecnnvos policy have obviously been in the mind. When the party came to office alua5 Conservatives, including young men lar as the new Minister for AerosPace„rosMichael Heseltine, enthused over the ev pect of a vigorous free enterprise Pnlicilio replace the Butskellism of the Mac°1' the era. Since the PM has made entry EEC his first priority, he has not been Por pared to battle on too many 0,005 fronts, so massive state interventIct announced and good left-wingers, lit'whet Chataway, dispatched to carry ntit,,f the amounts to an absolute reversalilP Government's economic intentions " twenty-one months of taking office. maibl. Naturally this will had to muchP;sible ing, and the desire to stifle anY 130rhose revolt on this front can be seen i,„/1 oat' who have been taken into the Gove%",. Mr Boardman, the new Minister 1.inery dustry is a right-winger, Mr Pete....reg felt the new under-secretary at the u'oret revolt 14 the new under-secretary at the u'oret revolt 14 strongly enough to threaten nationalising Rolls-Royce, Mr J°1111 00 ef sgas also leaped straight to a Minister econ-ntate job at the Treasury is another right-winger, as is Mr Cranley Yet another under-secretary at the ereafju any useful spaces have been i"in the ranks of potential rebels. tookut, while every effort has been made to hen"r1 he disillusion felt on the Tory [Jo-lieu" about the reversal of economic reu,Y,""and it is a move characteristic of wip"Ilson to stuff the DTI with rightWho must view the new interPolicies as a vegetarian would a lill2t4L chop — there is bound to be rumb ove-r ses of revolt on the backbenches Ju the next few weeks. few weeks. Cardst before the reshuffle Mr Jock Brucecreta-,Ylle quietly resigned as PPS to the SePlaeoW Lof State for Scotland, to be re viour Co1 Colin Mitchell. While one rn(1W'sh. to congratulate the colonel on 6 'ost° gLa Political batman it will not be htld (In —ris the whips that Mr Bruce-Gardyn.e sheer—e reversal of economic policy 1.n ,c13t1ternPt. His contempt is hardly refie",`0 move the nation to distress but it ben eh`As the Mood of many influential backWhen this is added to the disilete-nt felt over the question of Direct tilichtfhere is simmering below the surface oni'rouble for the party managers. be„lich,Y,011e Major figure on the Tory backAsir,— reflects the views of the disis ActIed right-wing of the party, and that tlatiar trioch Powell. The fear of the party INiltrs was always that Mr Powell token,'" some influential focus of dis kt c'n the back-benches apart from Of rac kee senior backbench figure told me p °well that he stopped inviting Mc r itberatiso hi speak in his constituency it 1,„,,"18 oWn people started asking him d'unld not be a better thing to have 11''-athe,slIc'sed shadow War Minister in Mr aPlace. Younger backbenchers still ;e1Ded -r! to whether his views on race ;'ection'r,fiindered the party at the last however, the race problem ichI ti a much less important position n Politics; but the other issues on er,'r Powell takes rebellious views, th ecn,„ n Market, economic policy, and the "'Nete and final integration of Ulster s". tik could make him an even more 1:4s et":`, figure within the party than he 'he height of his national popuaskga' hp,Nstb Mr Powell is the fact that he een er the darling of the Sunday litoakeevsince his views on the Market s. clear, Last Sunday, after he IA, °lien ntlY attacked the "ca PM on his „ate pledges " I3t1to consult the elec -114] e question of entry he received -qvcover er de age in the ' heavies.' The OhOf VOted "'tOrth more column inches to a ge-tr at political coelacanth Lord iCsen tlic'Wo's latest attack on Mr Harold rlo A an to Mr Pow ell's speech. There 4411 gellbt dta re has however, that Mr Powell's hajhes, wh grown even on the Labour de: draw:re his speeches on the Market theDm admiration from the most Iiitea°nent of entry. There seems kie;',Party.1%)°d of his ever leading the %raker .'e could not even be seen as a h,;r1 the departed Salisbury tradi rtnght well prove a successful
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