An Unauthorised Programme ?
The emotions aroused by Bevanism are dying down. In the elections, new style, for the Parliamentary Labour Party Execu- tive Mr. Bevan obtained exactly the place, twelfth out of twelve, that he would have obtained under the old style. None of his followers obtained places at all. But one of them, Mr. Harold Wilson, has seen to it that the "party within a party" shall not lose its place in the public eye. In a speech at Maldon at the week-end he listed with some zest a few of the industries Which still call for nationalisation; the process would have to be treated as a matter of urgency. Land is not in itself an industry; but it, of course, would have to be nationalised. So would the chemical and fertiliser industries. So would heavy engineering. So would the aircraft industry. So, conceivably, Would the Production of textile machinery andytnacbine-tools. And insurance, if not nationalised, must be considerably con- trolled. This is all very interesting, and Mr. Driberg's constituents, to whom the proposals were expounded, no doubt appreciated them fully. But just whose policy it represents is not yet clear. We have heard of unauthorised programmes before. Has Mr. Bevan, now restored to the Front Bench and almost to orthodoxy authorised this one ? Certainly the party as a Whole has not. For it makes hay of Mr. Morrison's assurance that when Labour had done its worst eighty per cent. of the industries of the nation would still remain in private hands. 1 t is true that since then the Labour Party, at its last annual conference, has demanded more nationalisation, though Without saying how much. However that may be, it is well that the average elector should realise what will be in store -if a Labour Government with the Bevan wing in control ever gets returned.
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