THIS FREEDOM !

Northland Age, Volume XVI, Issue 17, 26 November 1946, Page 2

THIS FREEDOM !

Sir.—l anticipated Mr. Smith would attack anything that savoured State Control before attending his meeting last Thursday night. lie finished up with a dramatic amen and promised his party would give us freedom. “Freedom !” It used to be the watchword of the brewers against Licensing Acts ; and now it is the watchword of all sound Tories against anything that savours of continued State control. Under the presence of back- ; ing the small man against bureaucratic tyranny, the main body of Tories will do their best to secure the “freedom” of big men to make monopolies without being checked by any sort of public control. In their eyes, public control is tyranny whereas private monopoly, however hardly it bears on the consumers or on the small producer, is perfect freedom. Hitler posed in exactly the same way, as the poor man’s friend, while he was making his league with the great industrialists at the small man’s expense. The Tories are attacking not only continuauce of control after the war, but also did, as an earnest of their intention, attack even war time control. Yours, etc., CURB BIT.