Ironic Criticism Of Economic Policy

Chronicle (Levin), 1 November 1949, Page 5

Ironic Criticism Of Economic Policy

-Reuter.

Copyright)

Received Monday, 8.50 p.m. LONDON, Oct. 31. Ironic critieism of the British Government's economic poiicy is made by The Economist. In a leading article headed "Salvation by Fleabite," it declares that Mr. Attlee administered a shock to the British people far more profound than would have been occasioned even by the most drastic programme of real sacrifices and impositions. "Ministers themselves in recent weeks have been busy creating the expeotation of drastic decisions to come," it says. "But all that emerges is a catalogue of fleabites. Yet the pubiic surprise is itself surprising. It shows how mcorrigible the ordinary Englishman is in his belief that his Majesty's Government must by definition be capable of governing. There was never any reason to suppose that the Ministers had changed their characters overnight, or that they were prepared to make an admission of error that would be involved in a change of course. "They were not trying to do more than adjust statistical estimates for the direct effects of devaluation." * The Economist, however, does find "a few crumbs of comfort" in Mr. Attlee's statement. "There is," it says, "at long last the first tiny evidence of a willingness to change policies that have been proved mistaken — this is the symbolic signifieance of the shilling charge fo,r prescriptions. "There is the first sign of- willingness. to take a subsidy off without the permission of those who benefit from it — though it remains to be seen how firm the Ministers will stand after they • hear from the farmers. "And there is no increases in taxation. Under extreme pressure," adds The Economist, "even this Government can be brought to budge an inch or two."