Shuffle to the Right

Britain's new Parliament had met for the first time six days before the King's speech. On the first day some of the 1'50 new members, many of them accompanied by their families and secretaries, traipsed the stone lobbies of the House of Commons, gawking curiously. At lunchtime they crowded into the dining rooms, where they met many of the other 475 M.P.s who will be their colleagues during the new session. Cracked a policeman on duty: "You'd think it was a one-day excursion. Perhaps it is, for they mightn't be 'ere long."

That afternoon the M.P.s re-elected their Speaker, Colonel Clifton Brown. He sat quietly on his bench awaiting the traditional byplay. Without a word, the Clerk of the House signaled to Laborite David Kirkwood. In a warmhearted speech, Socialist Kirkwood proposed Tory Brown as Speaker.

As Kirkwood advanced toward him,

Brown put up the traditional show of reluctance to accept the highest honor that can be paid to a commoner. First he smilingly shook his fist in Kirkwood's face, then allowed himself to be dragged reluctantly to the Speaker's dais. Prime Minister Clement Attlee warned Brown that the parliamentary weather might be "stormy with fair intervals," or "unsettled."

A few days previously, Attlee had done his best to insure fair sailing by shifting his cabinet around to strengthen its right wing. The cabinet changes included: C| War Minister Emanuel Shinwell was promoted to Minister of Defense. A few years ago, this appointment would have brought howls of pain from many who looked on Shinwell as a bridge between British Laborites and some Communist leaders. Last week it was received quietly. Shinwell is supposed to have mended his radical ways. He has immense personal loyalty to Attlee, and probably can be relied on to side with him if Health Minister Aneurin Bevan revolts. Attlee carefully saw to it that Bevan remained in his old post instead of receiving a promotion as Bevan expected.

EURJ To the new post of Minister of State for Economic Affairs, Attlee named Hugh Gaitskell, the able former Minister of Fuel and Power.

There were two other cabinet moves, however, which might huct Attlee more than they helped. The first was the transfer of bright young (40) Hector McNeil from Minister of State in the Foreign Office to Secretary of State for Scotland. The effect of this was to deprive ailing Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin of his ablest aide. The other shuffle of doubtful value was the appointment of former Food Minister John Strachey to the post of Secretary of State for War (see below).

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