DISCOVERS THE HUMAN FACE OF CAPITALISM

The extraordinary thalidomide affair offered the Tory Press an opportunity for an orgy of pompous self-congratu lation.

The story dominated the front pages and by the end of last week several papers were claiming the unique distinction of bringing the Distillers company to its knees.

An added bonus came on Saturday when Fleet Street was able to write the 'happy ever after story' around the f20m offer (which after tax concessions is likely to cost the company £8m).

The whole affair was supposed to prove that capitalists, though often misguided, out ol touch, stubborn etc., would eventually face the music and pay up.

Everyone was relieved. 'The City, reported the 'Sunday Telegraph' 'has never seen anything like the Distillers affair and one can only pray that it will never happen again.

The same paper reported one one of the more telling motives behind the campaign: 'Above all, concluded City editor Patrick Hutber, 'there has been a realization that capitalism, if it is to survive, must be capitalism with a human face.' most misplaced. It is a fact that since 1961, the year the children were born, parents have been fighting a bitter and unsuccessful battle to secure money from the multi-million pound whisky barons.

But at no stage did the 'campaigning' British Press take up their plight, neither did any paper print the true story the thalidomide tragedy which was far from a mistake. This is despite the fact that at least one national newspaper has had the full facts since 1967.

The campaign began on Monday January 1 when the news leaked out that two merchant banks were surreptitiously attempting to settle the wrangle without further damaging publicity.

On Tuesday the government refused any special tax status to Distillers, which promptly withdrew its 'new' fllm offer (£6m of which it proposed should be shouldered by the taxpayer).

On the Wednesday things took a more serious turn. The price of Distillers' shares fell 3p to 163.5p, wiping fllm off its Stock Exchange value.

It was at this point the big battalions decided they had a heart after all (supermarket owner David Green had already decided not to sell Distillers spirits: 'Cynics in the trade thought it was all a publicity exercise ... reported "The Grocer').

After ten years of witnessing the harrowing legal battles in the courts, which the parents lost, the 'Pru', with 9 million shares in Distillers, stepped in.

The entire capitalist Press gave blanket coverage to kindlv Sir John Hogg, Prudential Insurance's deputy chairman and deputy chairman of Williams and Glyn's Bank (another 1.1 million Distillers shares).

The London 'Evening Standard' reported Hogg: "The shareholders are worried—on two fronts of humanity and business-and we want to know if we can help? They had of course been making their minds up for a decade, but they had finally come te it-Distillers would have to Pay!

The 'Standard's' rival, the 'Evening News' turned its lead columns over to Richard Flemings, director of Robert Flemings, bankers and advisers to Distillers.

His remarks are worth reproducing in full:

'Lack of noise does not mean lack of action. Distillers is quiet Scottish firm unused to the glare of publicity,' he said.

"This is very difficult human problem. It is terrible human tragedy and the company has to find a solution that is fair and just-and that is likely to mean figures as ambitious demands made over- high as some of the overWhere, ( one might ask, was the humanity when Distillers was taking thalidomide campaigner David Mason to court to make his deformed nineyear-old daughter 'Lulu' a ward of the court? The argument was that by not accepting DisFORWARD WITH THE PEOPLE Saturday. January 6. 1973 This is * YOUR TOP TV RACING GUIDE * STARRING TEM WHOSE NAP C IN YESTERDAY

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