Now what happens next?
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From a special correspondent
The Summit XI I understand, will soon make approaches to Cabinet Ministers other than Mrs. Castle in an attempt to alert them to the Cabinet's perils, What Ministers? This is my list:—
The President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Crosland), Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Callaghan), Minister of Labour (Mr. Gunter), Minister of Agricultum (Mr. Peart)—and perhaps the Ministers of Technology (Mr. Wedgwood Berm), Power (Mr. Marsh) and Social Security (Mrs. Hart) as well.
Campaign's chances
The new Minister for Economic Affairs (Mr. Peter Shore) is obviously also a key man to contact in this campaign. But will the 12 make an approach to the real new boss of the Department of Economic Affairs the Economic Overlord himself. Mr. Harold Wilson?
Political observers will rate the chances of
this campaign as very low indeed if the primary aim is to undo the planning and thinking of Mrs. Barbara Castle and brand her as a left-wing enemy of private enterprise transport.
For a start, the Ministers of Economic Affairs, Labour, Technology, the Chancellor and the President of the Board of Trade are all on the committee of Ministers who are preparing next session's Transport Bill with Mrs. Castle. It can be assumed they have discussed the ideology of the plans in detail.
And Mr. Wilson fully endorses Mrs. Castle.
The approach must be made solely on economic grounds and with arguments such as that put forward by BRF that "consumer costs will soar".