KEYMEN.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue LXXI, 14 September 1940, Page 8

KEYMEN.

! BRITISH LEADERS. E i D » r , I ! "WINSTON" DOMINANT. !j BEVAN AND BEAVERBROOK. II » J Frank opinions on the personalities and j influence of loading men in the British j (iovernmcnt are given in at recent number of the "K.-H. Xews-Lettor," and are J attributed to "a well-informed eorrcst pondent." evidently intimately atj qnainted with the House of Commons. "The centre of the political scene is occupied by Winston. He has captured | and captivated the dissident Tories who ! were sore at the manner of ChamberJ h in's removal, and lacked the imaginaj tion to understand that in a national crisis, no one—least of all tin; man in i the street—cared tuppence about coJ relating the oflice of Prime Minister

| Mr. Ernest Bevin. [with that of the lender of the largest party in the House. The Labour party always liked Winston, who is a journalist and a bricklayer, other , things, and has never been accused of j being n business man. | "The Prime Minister say*: 'I am a i child of the House of Commons,' and he I means it. That is why the Houm*. j which has chastised its child on occajsions, now loves him dearly. In return. | |tho Prime Minister is punctilious iu hi< j ; respect for the House, whose collective ! t will it was that he should load it* iu j war. It suits the Prime -Minister's ! I temperament to bo above party. It is • noticed with much favourable comment » that ho finds time for an occasional ten ! .minutes iu the smoking room. A good general always spares a moment to j j visit the trenches. II Mr. Chamberlain. ! '"The movement to £et rid of Cham- | berlain has died down, chiefly because ! .it is felt that the Prime Minister wishes , J him to stay. Informed opinion recog- | I nises that Chamberlain has certain ! qualities of national value, when oxer- j j I cirsed in conjunction with the Prime I I Minister's dynamism. Kingsley Wood's j appointment to the. Chancellorship was • regarded on all sides as naked party politics. It was felt that his future i ; depended upon whether the Budget he i introduced, in order to supplement . j Simon's spineless eirort, measured up to , the occasion. First impressions are that it did not. , "There may be a change at the For- ' eign Oftice before the end of the year, < j btit many who feel that a new deal is « required in foreign policy would like to ; $oe Lord Halifax remain in the Cabinet jas u Minister without Departmental , duties. He has qualities of a moral ! character which no Government can j afford to lose. j The Labour Ministers. j "Of the big boys in the Labour party who hold ollicc, Attlee and Greenwood . have easily become respectable Treasury - j Benchers; they read out all the right i answers at the right times. Ilerlwrt « Morrison has not made any substantial I difference for good or evil at the Minis* 1 try of Supply, where the Civil Service i machine continues to function in an | orderly manycr. The same remark ap- ' plies to .Sinclair and the Air Ministry, i

A. V. Alexander at the Admiralty has yet to show whether or not he is de facto First Lord- Anthony Eden would probably bo more at liomo at the Foreign Oflico than in his present job. The War Office needs an anarchist for a few months. 'The two B's are—after the Prime Minister—the most interesting and gogetting members of the Government. Big Boss Sevan, at the Ministry of Labour and National Service, is living ' up to his reputation as a husky man who produces results, and Beavcrbrook at the Ministry of Aircraft Production is go-getting and brick-dropping. The Beaver is reputed to run his Ministry, as if it wore the 'Daily Express" about to go to press. It is said that eminent aircraft manufacturers have been called out of bed at midnight, to hear a voice from London asking them how many 'planes they produced that day, and if not. why not? '"Dull* Cooper and his colleague, Harold Xicolsou, have brought the Ministry of Information to life, but it is felt that the'— eyes and ears are too much in clubs and not enough in pubs. The Ministry is a bit too precious. Intestinal when it ought to be gutty, abdominal instead of belly. This is a rough, tough war. "Jehovah Anderson slipped up over his Special Courts Bill, but he has been forgiven. He is an able, upright and humunc official. Keith (Transport) and Malcolm Mac Donald (Health) arc busy in their Departments.* Out of sight, out of mind. "Lloyd George emerges from Churt at frequent intervals, and 'may yj-t be in oilice. Jt is rumoured that the Prime Minister has tried to call him up for Cabinet service at least twice, but that , Britain's great leader in the last war does not feel he can usefully collaborate whilst the Men of MuiijHi are still aboard the chip of State. Nevertheless, : there is contact between No. 10 and j Churt, which is more than could be truthfully said 'during the first nine months of the war. Displaced Ministers. 1 "Hugh Da Hon, that kindly man, looks \ very fierce, and we suppose him to l»e ) starving our enemies and late friends. ' Hut, as he rendered an account of his tricks at the Ministry of Economic Warfare in Secret Session, he remains ' mysterious and slightly sinister. What 1 of those who have gone? Stanley, 1 Dorman-Smith (this departure was a 1 narty casualty) and Walter Elliott wear ' King's Uniform, and probably find life 1 Jess wearing and more pleasant. Hore- ' Belisha and Leslie Burgin are what is < called in the theatrical world 'resting.' I notice that I forgot to mention Hud- i son, who is a ruthless sort of chap. He $ s'ves the impression that if his helping , hand is not grasped by British agrieul- c ture. it will feel his heavy boot. t

Lord Beaverbfook. "The House has easily adapted itself to the unprecedented situation of func. Honing without ail official Opposition, and collectively has shown a great sense of responsibility in these critical days. If we reach the month of October without a Blitzkrieg, some new reflections will lx- seen in that mirror of public opinion, which is known as the House of Commons."