The Policy-maker
Page 19
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IT is plain from last week's transport debate in the House of Commons that Mr. Fraser, the Transport Minister, is somewhat in a dilemma. Whether it is one of his own making is, perhaps, an unfair criterion to impose on such a charming gentleman. Perhaps his personal charm and integrity are the trouble, because his performance last week (when he, in effect, gave an account of his first year in office) suggests that he is playing safe and drifting unspectacularly with the stream of Socialist opinion on transport policy in the United Kingdom. Possibly he would commend himself more to the road transport industry if he took some positive steps in the direction of the overwhelming advice that has been tendered to his Ministry on the subject of Government attempts to control road transport to the extent of forcing doctrines upon it in flagrant disregard of public requirements and specialist advice.
Judging by some of the contributions to the debate which came from the Government benches, it is doubtful whether Mr. Fraser is even safe in just drifting with the stream of Socialist opinion. Do they, in fact, have one opinion? This seems highly questionable. There is still an element of " nationalization " diehards. There is still a steady, underlying current of feeling that too much traffic goes by road and should, ipso facio, switch to rail. This solution, as the Minister must know in his heart, is too facile. It is not backed by any of the statistics in his possession.
Mr. Fraser is in the impossible position of initiating studies in a totally unnecessary quantity, solely to bolster a dogma which is patently not going to be supported by fact. Then, when this is once more brought home to him, he buries his studies. A sorry way, indeed, to work towards a transport policy.