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A measure of sums for Minister Bill Rodger
Page 16
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by CM Parliamentary correspondent
IT COULD BE argued that William Rodgers, Secretary of State for Transport, was one of the most successful Ministers in the Callaghan administration.
Certainly there are many — most of them probably on the left wing of the Labour Party — who would hotly contest this. The answer to them: all depends on how one measures success.
Other Ministers have registered far more spectacular achievements, but they have almost without exception roused deep hostility among a large part of the population.
Mr Rodgers' activities have been less electrifying (he never made the enemies which Ernest Marples and Barbara Castle found when they were Transport Ministers), but he has made steady progress with only the occasional cat-call.
Indeed he became so intimately connected with all forms of transport that it comes as something of a surprise to realise that he had the job for only two-and-a-half years.
Up to September, 1976, the Department of the Environment was overlord of the once-independent Transport Department, with a Minister detailed to deal with the subject (remember Dr John Gilbert?).
Fairly-new Prime Minister James Callaghan decided to restore the old situation and made Mr Rodgers (then Minister of State for Defence) a full Secretary of State in charge of the Transport Department, with a seat in the Cabinet.
Up to then Mr Rodgers' only publicised connection with transport had been bicycling — he is still in favour of pedalpower — and he started off quietly with the unobjectionable objective of bringing order into the somewhat chaotic transport world. On his own terms, naturally — despite his mild, pleasant manner, the Minister knows his mind.
Within nine months he had produced his magnum opus, the White Paper on Transport Policy, which was transformed into law last year. It had its critics, but on the whole the Transport Act was fairly well accepted.
It was no surprise to anyone who knew him that he did not propose a State take-over of road haulage, although this appeared in his Party's manifesto.
As a man on the right wing of the Labour Party, Mr Rodgers does not hold with ritual dogma and it was plain, and remains plain, that he sees nothing to be gained in the wholesale nationalisation of lorries.
He has often had some nice things to say about the road haulage industry, stressing its importance in the country's economy, though he has generally added a rider that everything in the garden is not lovely.
Not that Mr Rodgers is against the idea of the State playing a larger part in road haulage. He would love to see the National Freight Corporation ever more active — provided it paid its way. For though he wiped off a huge NFC debt in the 1978 Act, the Minister has always maintained that freight operations — whether NFC or rail — should stand on their own feet without any subsidies.
But though he has kept a keen eye on lorries, Mr Rodgers' main target was the improvement of public transport. He had inherited a pretty disastrous situation and realised that some pretty radical action was necessary.
Country buses were his number one priority, and he decided that an improvement could not be brought about by Whitehall alone.
"What I want is a partnership, both between central Government and local Government, and between local councils and the operators," was his thinking. In other words a form of devolution — local people knew best what was wanted and they would get full Government backing.
He did play his part, however. He introduced experimental bus services unhindered by 'restrictions imposed by traffic commissioners — and whoever is Transport Minister after May 3 will have to give him credit if these trials show the way to better things.
Side by side with better buses went concessionary travel for the old and the handicapped. And this was one sphere where Mr Rodgers would have to admit defeat.
Despite threats and cajolery, he never persuaded all local authorities to introduce cheap fares, though he was still working on it right to the end.
He was in office just long enough, though, to see the introduction of regulations governing the labelling of road tankers carrying certain dangerous chemicals — just the first step towards a comprehensive system of statutory controls for the carrying of dangerous substances by all types of transport.
Mr Rodgers' most controversial idea has not really had time to get going — his plan to do away with the Road Fund Licence and make up the money by raising the tax on petrol.
This aroused fierce hostility, mainly from Tory MPs representing country areas. They complained non-stop about how much extra it would cost these bus-less people to get around, but their arguments lacked force because there are, as yet, no hard and fast figures by which to judge.
Like any other mortal, Mr Rodgers has had his share of luck, good and bad. There was, for instance, that kerfuffle when it was discovered that his politic:' adviser had sent a note to Labour councils, and had been unwise enougl use Departmental pal There was a momentary — but how can anyone really angry with a Mini who explained "There im cock-up"?
Then there was the when a newspaper reve that a Departmental offi had written a paper in fal of heavier lorries. Well, other Ministers, Mr Rod; asks his Civil Servants their opinions on occasi and this bother soon di( natural death.
The heaviest burdens Rodgers has had to bear 1 not been of his own makin convinced European from start, there must have 1 moments of doubt as he I to keep up with the rearr road legislation pouring from Brussels.
Most of it was an inevit consequence of our joiniN Common Market, but thc the rules were in operatio the original Six, Mr Rod was not prepared to ac them all, lock, stock and rel, at one fell swoop.
So he set about some tc bargaining, and won a b thing space for British 1 and bus men faced with a wildering array of regulat governing hours of work distances to be travelled.
But there was nothinl could do about the most tentious issue of all — tachograph. Faced with decision of the Euror Court that Britain ha( adopt the "spy in the c there was no alternative had to make the best of a job. Whether he has to se( whole thing through rests host of imponderables.
Has he any regrets a bows out of office? The one for certain — that belts are not compulsory admits that the fact thai necessary law was not pa is probably the greatest d pointment he has experier Not a bad failure rate!