Oral Answers to Questions — Germany – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 3 November 1947.
Mr. De la Bère:
asked the Minister of Food whether, in connection with the price of £34 16s. 3d. per ton recently paid for Argentine wheat, which compares with the price of £18 8s. 4d. per ton of English wheat, the Government will discontinue their methods of bulk purchase from Government to Government with a view to ultimately allowing the price of wheat all over the world to be equalised by the operations of the market.
Dr Edith Summerskill
, Fulham West
No one can buy any Argentine wheat except from the Argentine Government. Moreover, our bulk buying has obtained us even this wheat at an appreciably lower price than some countries have had to pay.
Dr Edith Summerskill
, Fulham West
The hon. Gentleman is perhaps not aware of the fact that there is no large wheat exporting country which is prepared to negotiate with us other than through the Government agencies.
Sir Waldron Smithers
, Orpington
Does not the hon. Lady realise that bulk purchasing inevitably means bulk selling?
Dr Edith Summerskill
, Fulham West
No, I do not realise that. The hon. Gentleman must also remember that although this price may seem high—
Dr Edith Summerskill
, Fulham West
Will the hon. Gentleman exercise a little patience so that I can give the answer? Although we are paying this price to the Argentine today, Brazil is paying £45 a ton. Furthermore, through bulk purchase we are paying only £15 1os. to Canada.
Sir Henry Legge-Bourke
, Isle of Ely
Can the hon. Lady say what part of the £34 16s. 3d. goes to the actual producer?
Dr Edith Summerskill
, Fulham West
That is for the Argentine Government to decide.
Sir Walter Fletcher
, Bury
Will the hon. Lady cite, in support of her argument for bulk purchase, the purchase of sugar from Cuba where she has paid five cents a lb.?
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
The Question refers to wheat not sugar.
Mr. De la Bère:
On a point of Order, Mr. Speaker, this will have to be raised on the Adjournment because it is an absolute national disgrace.
Mr Charles Hale
, Oldham
Is not the real explanation that the Socialist Governments of the Dominions are being more generous than the Tory Government of the Argentine?
Mr Douglas Clifton Brown
, Hexham
No further Question can be raised once the Adjournment has been mentioned.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
The Speaker is an MP who has been elected to act as Chairman during debates in the House of Commons. He or she is responsible for ensuring that the rules laid down by the House for the carrying out of its business are observed. It is the Speaker who calls MPs to speak, and maintains order in the House. He or she acts as the House's representative in its relations with outside bodies and the other elements of Parliament such as the Lords and the Monarch. The Speaker is also responsible for protecting the interests of minorities in the House. He or she must ensure that the holders of an opinion, however unpopular, are allowed to put across their view without undue obstruction. It is also the Speaker who reprimands, on behalf of the House, an MP brought to the Bar of the House. In the case of disobedience the Speaker can 'name' an MP which results in their suspension from the House for a period. The Speaker must be impartial in all matters. He or she is elected by MPs in the House of Commons but then ceases to be involved in party politics. All sides in the House rely on the Speaker's disinterest. Even after retirement a former Speaker will not take part in political issues. Taking on the office means losing close contact with old colleagues and keeping apart from all groups and interests, even avoiding using the House of Commons dining rooms or bars. The Speaker continues as a Member of Parliament dealing with constituent's letters and problems. By tradition other candidates from the major parties do not contest the Speaker's seat at a General Election. The Speakership dates back to 1377 when Sir Thomas Hungerford was appointed to the role. The title Speaker comes from the fact that the Speaker was the official spokesman of the House of Commons to the Monarch. In the early years of the office, several Speakers suffered violent deaths when they presented unwelcome news to the King. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M2 on the UK Parliament website.
The political party system in the English-speaking world evolved in the 17th century, during the fight over the ascension of James the Second to the Throne. James was a Catholic and a Stuart. Those who argued for Parliamentary supremacy were called Whigs, after a Scottish word whiggamore, meaning "horse-driver," applied to Protestant rebels. It was meant as an insult.
They were opposed by Tories, from the Irish word toraidhe (literally, "pursuer," but commonly applied to highwaymen and cow thieves). It was used — obviously derisively — to refer to those who supported the Crown.
By the mid 1700s, the words Tory and Whig were commonly used to describe two political groupings. Tories supported the Church of England, the Crown, and the country gentry, while Whigs supported the rights of religious dissent and the rising industrial bourgeoisie. In the 19th century, Whigs became Liberals; Tories became Conservatives.
