The ways and times of Mr Speaker

Press, 15 November 1977, Page 20

The ways and times of Mr Speaker

DERRICK MANSBRIDGE, of “The Press” editorial staff, reviews the autobiography of a former Speaker of the House of Commons, Selwyn Lloyd. “MiSpeaker, Sir,” by Selwyn Lloyd, is published byJonathan Cape (192 pp, index and glossary. $13.10.).

For those who used to delight in the biting drawings of that great political cartoonist, Vicky, in the London “Daily Mirror,” the picture of a bewigged Selwyn Lloyd dressed .in the ceremonial regalia of the Speaker of the House of Commons is incongruous in the extreme.

Vicky, who gave Harold Macmillan the nickname of “Super-Mac” (which did the Prime Minister no harm at all), used to portray Selwyn Lloyd, Macmillan’s Foreign Secretary, as the organgrinder’s monkey in a viv-idly-coloured pill-box hat, prancing along like a lackey in his leader’s footsteps. Politicians are said to grow a protective skin to ward off a cartoonist’s most cutting drawings, but as a man who had risen from second lieutenant to brigadier in the war and been mentioned in despatches, and who had held many high Government positions during 31 years as an M. P., Lloyd must have “died” once or twice to see himself portrayed in such an unflattering,” shattering manner.

He makes no mention of it in his book, “Mr Speaker, Sir.” In fact, he barely touches on his life before he was elected Speaker in 1971, except when he feels the need to mention his previous Parliamentary experience to expand a decision he made as Speaker. So, if the Vicky characterisation of Lloyd had not made such an indelible impression on the reviewer, the book would have given no occasion to recall it.

Quite the opposite, in fact. The Selwyn Lloyd who

emerges from “Mr Speaker. Sir” is a statesmanlike figure thoroughly versed ir Parliamentary procedure; a great believer in the rights of minorities and of backbenchers; and who had not only the trust and respect of a great majority of his own party, but also of the Labour Opposition. As an indication, of the last he had the support of two such notable Socialists as John Parker and Willie Hamilton when he came up for reelection in 1974. Hamilton, in fact, had opposed Lloyd in 1971 but “crossed the floor” three years later. And when one remembers that Lloyd had been intimately involved in the diastrous Suez adventure, and had not been either popular or particuarly successful as a Minister in several departments, it is all the more surprising that he was held in such marked respect. Also, Lloyd was in the Commons “box-seat” through some highly troubled times. He was elected in 1971 during the reign of Heath, when the Labour opposition was fighting tooth and nail to upset the Government. He was reelected for the short-lived minority Labour administration after the February, 1974, election when it was obvious that this was just a lull to the greater battle soon to come; and was again re-elected after the second election in the same year, when the minority parties (Scottish and Welsh nationalists, in particular) won many more seats. Lloyd was called upon for some Solomon-like wisdom. There is one delicious story concerning the uncompro-

mising Bernadette Devlin. Lloyd had once before had to deal with her, when Miss Devlin physically assaulted Reginald Maudling, then Home Secretary. Later, she came to the House to ask a question, and Lloyd says he was told she meant to make trouble for him and to create a scene.

After her question had been' answered, she made some offensive remarks in her supplementary question. Lloyd took no notice, but when the Minister had replied he moved straight on

to the next business, disregarding a dozen or so Labour’s M.P.s whe were on their feet also seeking to ask supplementaries. This caused a row and Lloyd was asked to meet an angry deputation.

Lloyd agreed he had treated the M.P.s unfairly — and then used his knock-out counter-punch. Miss Devlin, he reminded them, was pregnant; her baby was expected in a month or so. She was itching for a fight and he had prevented one only by closing the question. What,

he asked the deputation, should he have done if he had ordered Miss Devlin to withdraw and she had refused. Did he then send for a policeman or an obstetrician? What would be the result if force was used and there was a miscarriage on the floor of the House? Who was it who would be called a murderer? The deputation, Lloyd says, withdrew in good order, with more insight into a Speaker’s problems.

Most unfortunately, this Devlin story is a jewel in

the book among far too much dry, scholarly dross. For those who are seeking snippets of information about past Speakers, or for long treatises on Parliamentary procedural matters, this is' a good book. But Lloyd would have made his points more interesting if he had used a more anecdotal style. The Devlin story instructs the casual reader better about the job of being a Speaker of the House of Commons than does the rest of the other 190 pages put together.