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Part of Prayers – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 10 February 1967.

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Photo of Sir Henry Legge-Bourke Sir Henry Legge-Bourke , Isle of Ely 12:00, 10 February 1967

The hon. Member for Wandsworth, Central (Dr. David Kerr) is quickly bored. He did not arrive in the Chamber until the debate had been running for over three hours and he was called to speak within half an hour of having arrived here.

In view of his profession outside the House, he might, perhaps, care to look at an excellent address which Lord Bowden gave in Norwich on 4th September, 1961, to the British Association for the Advancement of Science. He was speaking particularly about the impact of automation and, during his remarks, he told his audience about a splendid ship's doctor who, during the Seven Years' War, used to tie a rope around the middle of his ailing sailors. If they had a pain above the rope he gave them an emetic and if the pain was below it he gave them a purge. All his patients died, but nobody thought his behaviour odd. The speech of the hon. Member for Wandsworth, Central followed that noble tradition.

It appears that unless one has some involvment in the State—unless one is, certainly to some extent, under the benevolence of a Government Department—one has no right to state one's case. This is indeed Socialism writ large. The hon. Gentleman's speech was an outrage, if only for the fact that he admitted, after being questioned by my hon. Friend the Member for Oswestry (Mr. Biffen) that he had been caught with his legs crossed and was unaware of the state of the present legislation regarding close companies. For any hon. Member to have the presumption to take part in a debate such as this without realising the position resulting from that legislation is nothing but an impertinence.