Armed Forces

Part of Bills Presented – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 14 December 1964.

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Photo of Mr Emrys Hughes Mr Emrys Hughes , South Ayrshire 12:00, 14 December 1964

I do not know whether the hon. Lady is advocating conscription. I am not. I am pointing out that the speculators and other moneyed gentlemen, in seeking a safe place for their money, went to a country which, if it has conscription, has no nuclear weapons and no heavy defence expenditure. Indeed, Switzerland does not have a seat at the conference table and is not even a member of N.A.T.O.

Hon. Members opposite should get their economic priorities right. They must get rid of the idea that we are living in the days of Imperialism. This might jar some of their preconceived ideas about old-fashioned Imperialism, for they must eventually realise that British money, resources and energy must be kept at home if we are to succeed in the export markets of the world. Our money must be spent here if it is to benefit the people of this country.

I hope that when my right hon. Friend visits the various bases abroad he will ask whether Britain is getting its money's worth in Cyprus, Aden, Singapore, B.A.O.R. and elsewhere. If this problem is to be faced realistically, the Government must conduct a complete reappraisal of the vast sphere of defence expenditure. I hope, therefore, that the Government will not listen to the voices of those who speak about the prestige, skill and know-how of our engineering and other industries being devoted to military production.

I recall asking the former Minister what it would cost an ordinary citizen to travel from London to New York by Concord. He said that that was not a question he could answer. I hope that the Government will turn a deaf ear to the specious pleas which come from the aircraft centres. I have no doubt that the hon. Lady the Member for Plymouth, Devonport (Dame Joan Vickers) will make a plea on behalf of the dockyards. We will have the traditional appeals for more money to be spent here and there to ensure that employment is maintained in this or that industry.

The Government and hon. Members who make these pleas should remember that we must change people's habits of working as well as our industrial set-up if we are to put the country on a sound economic footing. How fantastic it is to talk about £60 million being spent on one aircraft carrier. That sort of money would provide a lot of useful work for people here at home, and when hon. Members speak about the shipbuilding centres being employed making expensive but obsolete aircraft carriers and other vessels they should realise that those sort of activities will not put the shipbuilding industry on to a firm footing.

I read yesterday an interesting article in the Observer about the shipbuilding industry of Japan. While our shipbuilding industry is being devoted to the building of aircraft carriers, frigates and other obsolete vessels, the Japanese have been so successful in developing their industry that they will, before long, capture the shipbuilding markets of the world.

I hope that the Government will ensure that the inquiry which they are conducting is thorough and searching. I am sure that if they do the job thoroughly we will not each year be discussing the expenditure of fantastic sums of money on making aircraft and other equipment for the Army and Navy, and the other paraphernalia, which is becoming more and more obsolete.