Oral Answers to Questions — Food Supplies – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 31 October 1949.
Mr Thomas Skeffington-Lodge
, Bedford
12:00,
31 October 1949
asked the Minister of Food whether he is aware that a Conservative Party office in the borough of Poole is exhibiting real loaves of bread, now stale and uneatable, as a part of a party political advertisement; and whether, in view of the fact that the use of bread for purposes other than human consumption is illegal, he will prosecute those responsible.
Dr Edith Summerskill
, Fulham West
Yes, Sir, I am informed that these loaves were stale when purchased and will eventually not be wasted. No offence against the Waste of Food Order has been committed.
Mr Thomas Skeffington-Lodge
, Bedford
As far as the information given to my right hon. Friend is concerned, is not that rather a "get out," for since this Question was put down these loaves have been hollowed out? Is not that symbolical of the hollowness and sham of the Tory Party's programme?
Dr Edith Summerskill
, Fulham West
That is consistent with what we have been told. We were told that the bread would be made into breadcrumbs.
Sir John Langford-Holt
, Shrewsbury
Will the right hon. Lady give some of the poor Conservative associations some cheese to go with the bread?
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 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.
