Former MP for Brighouse and Spenborough
We are grateful to the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mr. W. Shepherd) for raising this matter. The Postmaster-General is probably grateful too. I am glad that the right hon. Gentleman himself is here to answer this brief debate. I cannot believe that the right hon. Gentleman, with his known business acumen, can be satisfied with the period of looking ahead for which he is allowed to plan, or with...
May I remind the Chancellor that in the end the owl married the pussy cat?
The hon. Gentleman is wrong on this point. It was not until January, 1958, that Halifax showed any signs of not wanting to go on with the negotiations, when it peremptorily and unilaterally closed them down.
The hon. Gentleman has made a number of comparisons with Todmorden and has said that Todmorden agrees. This I believe to be wrong. The fact that Todmorden is not spending money opposing the Bill is not, I am sure, to be taken as an indication that it approves.
The doctrine that because another place has passed the Bill, then we in this House should surrender our rights, discard our responsibilities and give the Bill an automatic Second Reading is a doctrine which I find highly repugnant. If any hon. Member thinks that something wrong has been done m another place, or if he thinks that the interests of his constituents are seriously prejudiced, he...
I entirely agree that the situation is as the hon. Gentleman has described it. My reason for wanting the matter debated tonight is because, in view of that earlier debate, it is not only a matter for the Minister but a matter for the House. It is a matter for all of us who took part in that debate. It is a matter for all of us who said, as I did, that the law needed to be changed, and that if...
No, of course, not; I was saying nothing of the kind. I would not be so foolish. What I am saying is that if there is a policy which has been endorsed by the whole House, I do not want to see it undermined. May I show how I think this is inconsistent with what we all wanted when we last debated the point? First of all, on the matter of voluntary arrangements, following the circular sent out...
Is not the hon. Gentleman playing down what was said in the Minister's report? Let me quote from the report. After all the arguments are set forth it reads: In these circumstances the Minister regards a joint board as the only satisfactory form of administration for the proposed new undertaking and feels bound to recommend the rejection of Parts II, III and IV of the Bill. The words the only...
