Heath hopes for national renewal in Europe

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33048, 16 October 1972, Page 17

Heath hopes for national renewal in Europe

(N.Z P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) LONDON, October 15. A relaxed and confident Mr Edward Heath yesterday linked hopes of national renewal with Britain’s new European destiny. The British Prime Minister looked forward to entry into the Common Market as a deep and satisfying chance for Britain to “get back into action” and carry on the influential world role he said Britain had played for centuries.

Mr Heath was giving the closing address at the fourday annual conference of the ruling Conservative party, at which moderate leaders joined with Young Conservatives in brushing aside challenges on immigration, inflation, industrial relations, and Northern Ireland.

A meeting billed in advance as a rendezvous of a “troubled” party turned into what Mr Heath called a “triumph for moderation, decency, and good sense.” Even more emphatically than the Opposition Leader (Mr Harold Wilson) had done at the Labour Party’s annual conference a week ago, Mr Heath left no doubt that he was fully in charge of his party, with no challenger anywhere in sight. What was even more remarkable, conference observers felt, was the clear-cut emergence of a “new Heath.” In this view, the man who came exuberantly to power 28 months ago foreshadowing tough, abrasive policies appeared yesterday wrapped in something of an elder statesman’s mantle. ‘Not extremists’ “We are not a nation of extremists,” he said, describing policies of challenge and confrontation as costly ones for everybody. His appeal was for industry and the trade union movement to act as “social partners,” in evolving a new system of economic management based on wage restraint and control of sectional interests.

Political analysts now see the Conservatives as seeking

to occupy the coveted middle ground in British politics. This contrasts with postmortem examinations on the Labour conference, which was seen as marking a move to the militant Left. East Europe The Foreign Secretary (Sir Alec Douglas-Home) described British entry into the European Common Market as a move that could lead to Closer relations with Eastern Europe and end a “debilitating confrontation” in East-West relations. Sir Alec Douglas-Home

was speaking at the Conservatives’ conference. He is always a favourite of the party faithful. He received a standing ovation after urging Conservatives to rally behind the idea of British membership. He said he thought Britain’s mood after long debate was now: “stop the talking and get on with the job.” He rejected the idea of a referendum on British entry, advocated in a speech earlier by Mr Neil Marten, a Conservative member of Parliament who opposes British entry.

“The referendum is not in our Constitution, the Government has no intention of introducing it into our Constitution, and that is that,” said Sir Alec Douglas-Home. He expressed hope that the Opposition Labour Party, which opposes entry’ on terms negotiated by the Conservative Government, would name some high-powered personalities to represent Britain in the European Parliament at Strasbourg. Britain’s Defence Secretary, Lord Carrington, foreshadowed the build-up of allied Europe’s own nuclear force, based on British and French weapons and linked with American strategic power. The statement by Lord Carrington emerged as a firm policy aim during a speech to the conference. Lord Carrington, on behalf of the party’s leaders, accepted a resolution calling for the build-up of "sufficient forces, both nuclear and conventional, to insure the security of Western Europe” against attack or subversion.

Nuclear force The Defence Secretary said: “West Europe has its own nuclear powers in ourselves and France. I believe one day that the evolution of European defence must include some kind of European nuclear force. “Although not on a comparable scale to the United States and without, I would hope, any weakening of the partnership with the United States, there will be problems. But if Europe is to have a greater share in its own defence we have to overcome these problems.” Lord Carrington did not define these problems but according to political observers they are well known. Britain, for instance, is bound not to share any nuclear weapon secrets it gets from the United States. West Germany and other European members of N.A.T.O. have signed a world treaty to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and therefore are committed not to make or acquire A-bombs, H-bombs and the like, say the observers.