Maudling and the press

Twist, There's no one who can bribe or t Thank god, the British journalist. But seeing what the man will do Unbribed, there's no occasion to.

—An IN 'THE TIMES' on June 5 appeared a lengthy historical article SPECIA on the circumstances under which Fleet Street BY conspired to suppress the abdication of King Edward VIII in 1936.

'The Times' the newspaper of the top people' gave Never details of this scandalous connivance with the ruling class with all the piety of some Jesuitical order. has Devout Roman Catholic, William Rees-Mogg, editor "The Times', declared: 'A situation such as we described to readers of "The Times" on Monday would not occur nowadays ...

Couldn't it? been On Tuesday of this week on the same centre pages another act of flagrant suppression news was committed. The issue was Reginald Maudling's associa- so much tion with the Poulson case.

The half-page article-'A letter from Mr Maudling to his constituents' did not, of course, purple mention Poulson. It was a long, turgid piece about the state of the world as viewed by the deputy prime minister. prose since the Coronation in 1953' With the hindsight of what was to be announced by Edward Heath that same afternoon, one paragraph from the article makes ironic reading: decision was taken. If he was 'The twin problems of inflation rolling about the chamber clutchand violence are both products ing his skull-like head, this . ar of social conflict. There is a only be something to do with an clash of interests, made more appalling migraine complaint. articulate by modern knowledge But there was more than one and modern education, exploited sick Tory Minister in the House sometime by the malicious, but that afternoon. Greig goes on to fundamentally part of the tex- say that Robert Carr, 'an intimate ture of changing human life! friend of the Home Secretary, Anyone with half an eye could looked a paler shade of grey and see that this curious piece of shot long, mournful glances at journalism by a Cabinet minister the vaulted roof of the chamber.' was in face a valediction; it was The 'Express' man, George Maudling's parting shot as he spectacle in wrost as colourful wrote about the disappeared into political spectace IUST Colour oblivion. language.

'The word "shame" took on a new meaning in the Commons No hint yesterday. "Shame" meaning "Oh what a shame!" It was the opening word of reaction from a No one is going to seriously House engulfed in deathly hush suggest that 'The Times' was not as Mr Edward Heath, wearing a fully aware of this fact when it dark tie, announced Mr Maudtook the Home Secretary's ling's resignation. lengthy 'letter' and agreed to 'But it aptly summed up the publish it. mood of profound regret over Of course they knew he was the circumstances that had lost going to resign. Did 'The Times' the government front bench the give a hint of it in Tuesday's friendly and familiar figure, the "shabby giant" : who only a few edition? Not a dicky bird.

days ago sat with a chubby smile Indeed, the only comment on as the Prime Minister dealt with the Poulson case was by political his question time critics. editor David Wood, who informed the readers: 'No minister, • no But it was Derek Marks, the politician at Westminster believes ex-editor of the 'Daily Express', for a moment that Mr Maudling who turned in the most astonishhas anything to answer for.' has been eroed th the resh of Wood struck theme which Include hospital in fraud probe capitalist press throughout the whole saga.

His opposite number: of the 'Daily Mail', Walter Terry, wrote the day after the resignation announcement: 'MPs of all parties were shocked. Labour's deputy leader, Mr Edward Short, The relationship developed when Pottinger said the last thing anyone wanted from the Poulson inquiry was a was seconded to the Scottish Tourist Board to work with the late Terry's lobby colleague, Gor- Sir Hugh Fraser on a the Commons with some of the don Greig, described the scene in £3m winter sports centre at Aviemore in the most purple Coronation in 19s seen since the Highlands.

'Two places away from Mr Heath was Sir Alec Douglas Home, stunned and distressed. Liaison He cupped his face in his hands and rolled his head in horror and disbelief. Poulson was consul'He twirled his spectacles. He tant architect to Bovis sucked at one stem. He put his Holdings Ltd, Tory hands over his ears as if to Health Minister Sir shut it all out, and all the time Keith Joseph's family head rolled from side firm, and Pottinger's job side in some sort of funeral rite.' was to liaise with him.

Greig's description defies What came of that credibility. Home attended the liaison will presumably Cabinet meeting which took be unearthed by the place five days previously at which the 'Reggie had to go' bust?' haps more than any other Metropolitan Police vestigating squad.

Now Hamilton has asked Kenneth Baker, parliamentary Secretary, Civil Service Department, to extend the police inquiry into the links between top civil servants and Crudens.

Tory • Secretary of State for Scotland Mr Gordon Campbell immediately wrote to the leader of the Commons Robert Carr insisting that the two civil servants named in the anonymous letter had left the civil service and joined Crudens at dates which rule out any suggestion of malpractice involving the Ninewells hospital contract.

Baker

'Wasn't he Chancellor of the Exchequer? Was that another company that nearly ing piece of drivel. Marks Fleet Street editor, was in a position to know exactly about Maudling's business associations. About two years ago he was offered a complete history of the Home Secretary's relationship with Jerome D. Hoffman's Real Estate Fund of America, the offshore fund of which Maudling, was the first Marks read a synopsis of the material and refused to publish it. Yet on the day after the 'shabby giant's' resignation he wrote: The smears that were spurred by jealousy.' 'There was a fitting pall of shame hanging over the House of Commons yesterday afternoon when the Prime Minister announced Mr Reginald Maudling's resignation as Home Secretary. Shame that a smear campaign had worked.

'It has not often been the case that the announcement of a Ministerial resignation has been greeted with cries of dissent from both sides of the House. Yet such was the case yesterday.

'One could not help thinking to the Commons the rule governing the conduct of civil servants, Hamilton asked: 'Can you be quite ure this rule is being obeyed? Can you tell the House for instance how the Pottinger affair would have been disclosed unless there had been the bankruptcy case in Wakefield?' 'Integrity He said: 'Will you undertake to allow the Metropolitan police investigation [of Poulson] to cover the case of the Ninewells hospital, Dundee, and the association of two senior civil servants, one now dead and fact from anybody' that had such support but been manifested earlier, this needless resignation would not have taken place.

'It would be stupid to pretend that the campaign against Mr Maudling began and ended the Poulson affair.

'It began years ago, an 1 it was based largely on the fact that he was more intelligent than most of his fellow MPs.

'So that not only was he able to carry out his various jobs with apparent ease he was also able to enjoy living. He was toolish enough not to conceal either 'Jealousy' and 'smear campaign' was Marks' cry. But over at the London 'Evening Standard'— another part of the Beaverbrook press—a different line was being peddled. The City editor, David Malbert, wrote:

"The one major unanswered question over the tragic Maudling affair is: why did he form such strange associations? Here was a senior statesman, a former Chancellor of the Exchequer whose performance was a great deal better than his detractors allowed, a man of acute intellect and a great deal of charm.

My explanation of his attachment to jerome Hoffman and his services to Mr Poulson, can be I believe retired, took high positions Crudens?' Baker replied that the police investigation was limited to the Poulson affair, but he added that if the ether matter was involved, he was sure the investigation could be extended to it.

With two senior civil servants suspended pending police investigations and the Home Secretary forced to resign, Baker went on to say that he hoped recent events had not caused disquiet among the public about the civil service.

The integrity Civil and honesty the Service is the biggest asset in British public life', he told the House. UDLING summed up in words: business naivete.

This amazing theory will cause a rash of anxiety among shareholders of Sir Arnold Weinstock's GEC combine, the merchant bankers, Kleinwort Benson, and the Dunlop Pirelli rubber group where Maudling also held directorships. It also flatly contradicts the view of Maudling held down at 'City Press', , the newspaper of the City of London.

They seem to think Mauding is the greatest financial genius since John Maynard Keyneswhich is an unfortunate yardstick in these troubled times.

In a front-page article the 'City Press' declared: 'Bankers resent attack on Maudling'.

"The City of London looks on Reginald Maudling (who was a successful chancellor) as the one man in the Heath Cabinet who really understands the management of the economy. He is known as an expansionist who favours a sensible prices and wages policy and a floating pound. Without him the Heath Cabinet would be desperately short of the talent that is required to cope with our desperate economical situation now that inflation is running wild."

Hardliner

And finally to 'The Guardian which lazed onto the scene with an obsequious editorial about Maudling. The 'liberals' of 'The Guardian' whined: 'Mr Maudling's resignation is a bitter blow Maudling Sovernment. For position the @overnment HOr M t there must be great sympathy. Mr Maudling stood at the head a small group of Ministers who were more dedicated to reconciliation, less committed to abrasiveness than others.' This view of Maudling as the "radical lory is answered fully he Maudie that Grigg the "Standhe [Maudling] stood for "concensus" policies in a cabinet hellbent on policies of "confrontation" is very largely mythical. Though by temperament more of an appeaser than Mr Heath, he has been fully associated with the government's policies both before and since he came to office.' By any standards Maudling was a hardliner. Ask anyone in Long Kesh concentration camp. That, you will recall, was just one of Maudling's ideas in the 'quiet revolution' of the Heath governTV Press, Saturday