HAVE CONSERVATIVES ANY POLICY IN BRITAIN?

Grey River Argus, 11 October 1948, Page 3

HAVE CONSERVATIVES ANY POLICY IN BRITAIN?

Election Tactics Instead Discussed LONDON, Oct. 7. The Conservative Party conference at Llandudno and the reactions of the Labour newspapers appear to be proceeding according to anticipations. The Daily Herald says that the Conservatives have no policy. A Daily Herald reporter, recording that Lord Woolton posed the query of how the elections next spring were to be won, said he gave no indication of what the Conservatives’ policy would be. “It would seem,” he ' commented, “that the Conservative Party has neither an inspiring policy for local government nor an effective national policy in Parliament.”

Other reporters said Lord Woolton called for the party to be more active in local government and asked that the municipal elections to be held next spring should be regarded as a “battle exercise for the big contest which will determine the fate of Britain for a generation to come.” They apparently heard Lord Woolton give a summary of broad principles of policy for elections in the spring, which were: “Belief in democratic local government, not in making local councillors the creatures of a central government; rates collected should be no more than necessary for efficient administration; housing demanded the mobilisation of the whole of the building forces in the country. A further indication that the Conservatives are seized with a desire to produce a policy was- indicated by Mr R. A. Butler, when he remarked: “Gone are the days when a policy was brought down to us from Mount Sinai on tablets of stone, often blinding us with the light.”

An interesting decision at the conference was that from now on money subscriptions to the party funds were not to be a qualification for Parliamentary candidateship. “We intend,” said Mr Henry Brooke, a member of the committee on party organisation, “to ask candidates not for their money, but for their ability, vitality and their time. W e want to make it possible for every man and woman with the right capacity to become a first-class M.P.regardless of wealth.”

With an eye on next general election, the party decided that the conference next year shall be held at the Albert Hall, London, to accommodate all members wanting to attend. It was not possible for everyone to be in the same hall at Brighton last year, while this year, two halls are filled a mile apart. They are linked by loud-speakers. It was originally the intention to go to Scarborough next year—where the Socialists met. last Whitsun—but it was agreed that the accommodation there was also insufficient. TORY PRESS RELIED ON

Mr W. Fletcher, M.P. for Bury, proposed a resolution “viewing with concern the Government's policy unde’’ which the newspapers were allowed so' restricted a simply of newsprint as makes it impossible for adequate service news and views to be put before the public, which is an exampl" the Socialist method of controlling the newspapers, and it calls on the Opposition to do' all possible to obtain more newsprint as a safeguard for British democracy”. Mr Douglas Graham, vice-chairman of the National Union of Conservative Nationalist Associations, said that the consumption of newsprint in Britain in 1947 was 35 per cent, of the prewar figure. Germany and Italy were better off. Britain was next to bottom on the list of countries, and only Japan was in a worse comparative position. The resolution was carried unanimously.

Policy Decisions By British Conservatives LONDON, October 7. At its conference, the Conservative Party dealt with the House of Lords, trade and steel nationalisation. The conference unanimously approved a resolution “endorsing the action of the House of Lords in rejecting the Parliament Bill,” and supporting the leaders of the party “in such a measure of reform as would best enable the Lords to discharge its duties under the constitution.”

Mr. Anthony Barber moved a resolution, “that a reformed Second Chamber would guard against these extremes. The one proposed in the Parliament Bill will guard against neither. The Bill is political dishonesty, and will do nothing to solve our problems at home or abroad.”

He said: “To me the extreme Right is almost as distasteful as the extreme Left.” Lord Salisbury said the Conservatives held themselves free, when they returned to power, to introduce a proper, comprehensive scheme or reform. covering both the powers and membership of the House of Lords.

It was resolved to demand that the question of the PiationajllhatiDn of steel be put to the country and action deferred until the people gave a new mandate.

Mr. Oliver Lyttelton said that the Government was split over the steel nationalisation issue. He said: “The extreme Socialists in the Cabinet must press for more Socialism, while the moderates say ‘Let us have one little success in ’ nationalisation before we move further.’ The Conservatives fear there will soon be too few private enterprises to pay the losses of nationalised coal, gas, electricity and transport. It was decided to call for a new conception of Commonwealth relations with the Empire as “one great strategic and trading _pnit.” The conference pledged the Party’s utmost efforts for the denunciation of the Geneva trade treaty and for non-ratification of the Havana Charter, insofar as the two pacts limited or contemplated limitation of the preferential system. Four thousand Conservative delegates at the party’s biggest annual conference, which is being held at Llandudno, decided that constituency associations should not demand large subscriptions from Parliamentary candidates. Speakers said the constituency associations had demanded that prospective candidates must guarantee half their election expenses. That had meant that only persons of means could stand for election to Conservative seats.