Conservatives Move Towards Europe

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30884, 18 October 1965, Page 15

Conservatives Move Towards Europe

(N.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) BRIGHTON, Oct. 17. Mr Edward Heath yesterday set the Conservatives moving towards Europe and away from their traditional global and Commonwealth policies.

He told 4000 delegates at the final session of the Conservative party’s annual conference that Britain’s future lay in the new stronger Western Europe emerging to complement the power of the United States.

The main theme of the four-day conference has been to persuade Conservative supporters to accept a sharp break with old policies—especially in defence and agriculture.

Today Mr Heath said that the party had accepted this new mood of realism; he declared: “Our task is to change the mood of the country as a whole. We know our line of advance. Let us see that other people do.” The most important development in international affairs for Britain was the changing balance between the two sides of the Atlantic, Mr Heath said.

“The more clearly this change is understood, then the greater are our chances of redressing the balance without friction between friends.

“It is in this position today that 1 want Britain to be able to exert her influence.” Mr Heath claimed that the Labour Government, which, he holds, has set impossible conditions for joining the Common Market, had “neither the power nor the will to pursue such a policy.” “TURN BACK”

Mr Heath, who led Britain’s previous abortive Common Market talks, still faces some opposition within his own party to the new policies, hammered out largely under his own direction in the last year.

But with yesterday’s speech, Mr Heath clearly won the enthusiastic support of rank and file delegates for the party’s new line of action. In a brief reference to the Rhodesia independence crisis, Mr- Heath made a fresh appeal to the Rhodesian Prime

Minister. Mr lan Smith, to “turn back from the brink” of any thoughts of seizing independence unilaterally.

On Rhodesia, Mr Heath said that although the Conservative Party deplored a unilateral declaration of independence. it still reserved the right to criticise the Labour Government and was not satisfied with the manner in which the negotiations had been carried out. WORDS “DEPLORED”

Mr Heath said he deplored the Government's use of emotional words such as “treason” and “traitor” in reference to the Rhodesian

“These can do nothing whatever to help find a solution to this problem." Speaking of Britain's future role in the world. Mr Heath said; “I want again to have a British policy.

“I want this not in any nasty nationalistic sense. I want it in order that we may be able to perform our duty internationally as we see it —to do our duty in the Western Alliance, in the Com--1 monwealth."