– in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 18 February 1964.
Mr Edward Milne
, Blyth
12:00,
18 February 1964
asked the Prime Minister if he will make it a condition of the appointment of Ministers of the Crown that they shall declare to him the positions in industry held by them at the time of appointment which they are then relinquishing; and if he will publish the information so obtained in a Sessional white paper.
Sir Alec Douglas-Home
, Kinross and West Perthshire
No, Sir, since I do not see what purpose such a condition would serve.
Mr Edward Milne
, Blyth
Is the Prime Minister aware that the secrecy surrounding the subject of Question No. Q1 is far exceeded by the secrecy surrounding the subject of this Question and that he ought to be a little more forthcoming since there are indications already that this is information which the country should have? Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that this Government are already being linked with the 1918 Government which Keynes described as a group of hard-faced businessmen doing well under Tory rule in Britain?
A document issued by the Government laying out its policy, or proposed policy, on a topic of current concern.Although a white paper may occasion consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. This is a contrast with green papers, which are issued less frequently, are more open-ended and may merely propose a strategy to be implemented in the details of other legislation.
More from wikipedia here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_paper
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.
