Economic Situation (Government Proposals)

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 26 October 1949.

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Photo of Mr Cecil Poole Mr Cecil Poole , Lichfield 12:00, 26 October 1949

Yes. I said at the start of the three examples I was giving that they were taken from industries with which I was associated. I feel I would be totally unqualified to give details from industries with which I am not concerned.

The Government in this particular direction have presented a programme which is entirely negative. They have given us increased austerity, exhortations and soft soap, or abuse and complaints both of managers and labour as personalities and circumstances demanded. It is no use talking about efficiency and deliberately creating conditions where the results of efficiency are penalised and the inefficient protected.

The Government have made every possible mistake. They devalued before they deflated, and their programme of cuts will take too long to come into effect. The result of their actions must have the effect of cutting the value of the people's savings, and reducing the standard of their own social service programme which will bring it into disrepute.

I say in all seriousness that even now I do not believe it is too late. I do not believe there is any need for the attitude of hopeless despair showed by the Prime Minister on Monday in his speech and in his broadcast. The Government must revise their attitude, first, towards profits. They should make it more difficult for the inefficient to earn them, and allow the efficient to retain their share of them. Whether and how they are distributed afterwards can be dealt with in the Budget of that time. The Government must alter their attitude towards the rigidity of controls of a kind which only tend to create inefficiency and stagnation. They must alter their attitude towards wage differentials. They must not restrict the industrial worker in his effort to work harder and longer and at the same time must leave him sufficient to save. If the Government do these things, I believe British industry, whether in office or in factory, will do the great job, which is needed at the present time.