SHADES 1931?

group of trade unionists who went secretly to Buckingham Palace on Tuesday night to have talks with the Duke of Edinburgh on industrial relations. The Duke chaired the hour-long meeting of trade unionists, CBI leaders and representatives from banks and big business.

The aim of the 'study group' is to prepare a conference on industrial relations and management in 1974. The whole exercise is being sponsored by the Industrial Society, a corporatiststyle organization which promotes 'harmony' on the shop floor.

The Tuesday night meeting was kept out of all the national newspapers. The Court Circular published each day in "The Times' and 'Daily Telegraph' contained no mention of the Duke's meeting with the leaders of the working class and big business.

This is very odd: the Circular is supposed to be a detailed and accurate account of the Royal Family's daily activities.

Yesterday's circular says that the Queen, accompanied by the Duke, opened the new session of parliament. It even mentions that on Tuesday night Edward Heath made a visit to the Palace.

But there is no announcement of the tripartite talks between the Royal Family and both sides of industry.

The trade union leaders have also kept quiet about the Royal company they are keeping. Yet those present, apart from Feather, Scanlon and Jones, included Frank Chapple (electricians) and Alan Fisher (council workers) whose members are currently under the Tory wages hammer.

Sitting around Duke's table with these trade unionists were: Mr W. O. Campbell A damson, director general ‹ if the CBl, who is cur ently Feather, Jones, Scanlon at Buckingham Palace working hand-in-glove with the Tories to introduce a state pay plan.

Lord Melchett, chairman of the British Steel Corporation, who is ransacking jobs throughout the steel industry in preparation for Common Market entry.

Lord Sieff, head of the multi-million pound Marks and Spencer group which contributes to Tory Party funds.

A spokesman for the Industrial Society said yesterday the discussion Scanion and Jones on their way to see Heath yesterday. centred on resolving the problems between management and the trade unions'.

It would be naïve and misleading to pass off these talks as simply a social occasion.

In times of national economic and political crisis the Royal Family will come out of mothballs to fight ferociously against the rising militancy of the working class.

In the 1931 economic crisis George V played a crucial role in actually forming the Natiönal Government under Ramsay MacDonald.

Writing about the period Geoffrey Trease in "This is Your Century' says:

"Though a modern sovereign often seems little more than a rubber stamp for the decisions of his ininisters, there have been a few occasions like this, when one has felt compelled to take the initiative.

'Earlier that day July 31, 1931] the King told his private secretary to suminon the Conservatire and Liberal leaders...

*When Mac Donald arrived that night, looking "scared and unbalanced" as the King's private secretary noted, he was surprised and flattered to learn that in His Majesty's opinion he was "the only man to lead the country through this ¿risis" , and that the Conservatives and Liberals had ready promised to back him.' It is in the context of the present economic crisis, much deeper than that experienced in 1931, Jack Jones is no stranger to the Duke of Edinburgh or the Industrial Societythav mo t thara at a lunch MAINI DID n 1970 that the Duke's chat with the trade union leaders must be viewed.

The occasion marks an overt intervention by the monarchy to maximize pressure on the labour leaders.

The trade union leaders are being bounced from talks at Chequers, Heath's country residence, to No. 10 Downing Street, to Buckingham Palace.

Before going to the talks with the 1 Duke, Scanlon went to the Café Royal in Regent Street to mingle with executives from major industrial firms and speak on the same platform as Enoch Powell.

What the working class is witnessing today is a right royal mugging of their leaders.