UNIVERSAL AUNT
Page 71
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WOMEN drivers have been the butt of masculine jokes and masculine anger ever since there were enough cars on the road to get in each other's way. As a corollary the woman non-driver should receive nothing but praise. She is fulfilling the popular criterion that, wherever woman's proper place may be, it is not at the
wheel.
It must have seemed unfair to professional and amateur humorists that when for the first time there was a Minister of Transport who did not drive it happened also to be the first time that a woman was appointed to the position. Sarcastic comments were made about the non-playing captain and so on but there was little heart in them.
Sharp tongue
Mrs. Barbara Castle took much of the sting out of the criticism at the beginning by admitting freely that she had opted out of the ranks of the motorists. Then as subsequently she was taking full advantage of her femininity. She has a sharp tongue which she does not hesitate to use on occasions; but in general she is developing into a universal aunt with a kind word and a good deed for everyone.
Each category of transport user has either received direct encouragement or the impression that Mrs. Castle is defending it stoutly against a more extreme opponent. This does not apply merely to the obvious candidates for her support such as the railways whose blueprint for indefinite survival is sketched in the White Paper on transport policy; or the passenger vehicle operators who were encouraged the other day to run their buses against the tide of traffic where this would free them from the prevailing congestion.
Mrs. Castle has also succeeded in appearing as the friend of the motorist. She took the opportunity at the annual dinner of the Public Transport Association after reminding her audience of their own suggestion that she should ban all parking of private cars on main roads in every town and city centre and on the approach roads.
This was "just not on," said Mrs. Castle. There were numerous perfectly legitimate uses for the private car in towns. Having said which she felt free to add that there must be some restrictions particularly-on the commuter and that parking controls over a wide area were part of the solution to the problem.
A day or two earlier, in introducing the second reading of the Road Safety Bill, Mrs. Castle seemed also to be upholding the rights or l'homme moyen .sensuel, the moderate drinker who also drives. In deference to public opinion she had abandoned the original intention to introduce random roadside breath tests. She had never held the opinion that an issue of individual liberty was involved but was nevertheless prepared to give way.
During the same debate Mrs. Castle came Out strongly on the side of the goods vehicle operator. Annual testing of heavy lorries, plating and the reintroduction of the heavy goods vehicle driver's licence were all Proposed as well as sterner penalties for breaches of the Construction and Use Regulations. By way of explanation Mrs. Castle gave the results of spot checks on goods vehicles but concluded by expressing her conviction that the great majority of goods vehicle operators were responsible and public-spirited men. It was only a very small minority that was likely to run foul of the tougher penalties.
In the light of the statistics the tribute could not have been more handsome. There is evidence in the debate and elsewhere that Mrs. Castle's expansive benevolence baffles and even infuriates her opponents. That dedicated misogynist, Mr. Peter Walker, 'took no part in the discussion. The burden of sustaining the attack fell on Mr. T. 0. D. Galbraith, one of Mr. Walker's assistants on the Opposition front bench.
Sound amendments
The Conservatives should have some sound amendments to put forward at the committee stage of the Bill. In making a general attack on Mrs. Castle's introduction, however. Mr. Galbraith was somewhat at a loss. Ile pointed out that in the spot checks publicly owned undertakings had sometimes been found just as guilty of bad maintenance as "the wildest of the cowboys.This be regarded as destroying much of the argument against the Geddes report and in favour of public ownership as a safety precaution.
The arguments which Mr. Galbraith was demolishing had not been put forward by the Minister. He may have considered it unfair that she had forestalled him by paying a tribute to goods vehicle operators in general in terms which he could hardly himself have made any warmer. Because views expressed in the Labour Party in the past had been so different he may have doubted her sincerity. The voice is Jacob's voice but the hands are the hands of Esau.
Wicked uncle
From the point of view of a road transport industry which wishes only to be kept free from party politics Mr. Galbraith was playing the part of wicked uncle to Mrs. Castle's indulgent aunt. There is in fact no reason to suppose that she was being hypocritical. As far as one can see she is enjoying her task as Minister of Transport. She very much wants to make it a success and perhaps to become herself one of the very few people holding that office whose names are remembered.
If this is her object and she is to achieve it Mrs. Castle needs the support of all sections of the transport industry and of transport users. She needs it perhaps even more than the support of her own party. The unopposed second reading of the Road Safety Bill is symbolic of the fact that it has the broad agreement of Parliament as a whole. This will not be the case with the legislation which will follow on from the White Paper. The Conservatives have already made clear some of the points on which they will attack it and disappointment for the opposite reasons will be felt within the Labour Party.
It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that when Mrs., Castle finally presents her Transport Bill she will find herself closer to road operators than to her own parliamentary supporters or the Opposition. It is a situation which the operators themselves might find desirable although at the moment it seems remote. The Minister has gone on the record as saying that they are responsible and public-spirited. This seems voluntarily to destroy in advance one of the main accusations which have sustained the enmity of the Labour Party in the past.
Janus