– in the House of Commons at on 11 March 1935.
Mr David Grenfell
, Gower
asked the Prime Minister whether he will consider the propriety of the Postmaster-General continuing to hold that office, which entails his responsibility for the control of British broadcasting, in view of his recent appointment to a party post as organiser of propaganda?
Mr Stanley Baldwin
, Bewdley
Responsibility for broadcast programmes rests entirely with the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Postmaster-General, as has been frequently stated in this House, takes no part in the compilation of these programmes, and exercises no censorship over them in any way. I can see, therefore, no reason why the holder of the office of Postmaster-General should alone be debarred from party activities, and such a condition has never been made in connection with the office. The hon. Gentleman may rest assured that my right hon. Friend, as always, will in any political or other work he may undertake have due regard to the duties and responsibilities of his office.
Mr David Grenfell
, Gower
I do not desire to challenge the ability of the right hon. Gentleman, but is it not a temptation to officials who are responsible for broadcasting to consider the susceptibilities of the right hon. Gentleman?
Mr Stanley Baldwin
, Bewdley
The greater the temptation, the greater the opportunity to resist it.
Mr James Maxton
, Glasgow Bridgeton
Would it be prying into Cabinet secrets to ask if that answer was prepared by the Postmaster-General?
Mr Stanley Baldwin
, Bewdley
It is "A poor thing, but mine own."
The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.
It is chaired by the prime minister.
The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.
Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.
However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.
War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.
From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.
The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.
