Corridors . . .
LOOKING DOWN at the golden hair of aerospace minister Michael Heseltine, Puzzle was pleased to note that Michael's hair is looking very refreshed. He is unlikely in the near future to be approached at a party, as he was recently, by a lady who said "Michael, the dark roots are showing."
OVERHEARD RECENTLY BY Puzzle, Geoffrey Finsberg, sharp suited youngish Tory MP, "I haven't read the Observer
since Suez." .
PUZZLE WATCHED THE comparative dispatch box performances of Peter Walker and his new Cabinet colleague Geoffrey Howe the other day. Puzzle was amazed — not to put it too highly — by the shambling, inept and inarticulate way Walker dealt with his question; and impressed by the silken smooth manner of chubby-cheeked Howe. Increasingly the comparison is going to be made between those two, as they sit side by side, week after week, responding to questions; and the comparison is not going to be to Walker's advantage.
FOR A MAN SUPPOSEDLY so devoted to Parliament Enoch Powell spends rather less time there than he ought, and a great deal less than his loyal supporters expect him to. "Doesn't Enoch come in on Monday?" a reporter off-handedly asked one of those supporters the other day. "No," came the disgruntled reply, "nor any other day if he can help it."
WHY, PUZZLE WONDERED, was this week's Parliamentary business so dull? Why were there so few Whips? Well, the answer is simple. The European parliament meets this week, and a heavy programme of Government business was pushed through last week to give the Tories an easier time when some of their boys had to be in Strasbourg. A black mark to Bob Mellish, the Labour Chief Whip, for failing to arrange something exciting this week, and thus force the Tories to fly members back from the new European capital. But, then, Bob has other things on his mind.
PUZZLE SENDS HIS CONGRATULATIONS for a brilliant parliamentary manoeuvre to Dr Tom Stuttaford and Sir George Sinclair. Passionate proponents, these two, of free birth control on a comprehensive basis, they have succeeded in securing fifty-four Tory signatories to an early day motion calling for just such a measure. Their art lay, first, in acquiring supporters from all wings of the party; and, second, in confining the list of supporters to Tories in the first instance, so as to test the range of their support within their own party, before looking for Labour support — which they will get in massive proportions. Looking over the list a Labour member paid grudging tribute: " Whips don't look at numbers," he said, "they look to see how steady the people are. Since you've got Edward du Cann, who's too cunning to put his name to anything that's not going to succeed, I reckon we will have free birth control within the year."
Tom Puzzle
Previous page
