The Hit & Runner

Early in April, Laborite Aneurin Bevan sideswiped a bus at Gerrard's Cross in Beaconsfield, recovered control of his Humber Hawk and sped on. Haled to Beaconsfield to face a magistrate last week, Nye made his feeble excuses: "I realize I should have stopped but I was anxious to avoid . . . publicity." The court brushed the plea aside, slapped a fine of $166.10 (including costs) on Britain's most freewheeling public figure and took away his license for three months.

Laborite Bevan's reckless political course, leading to his resignation from his party's parliamentary committee (TIME, April 29), was also getting him in trouble. Sir Winston Churchill gloated that Nye's revolt had left him "a stranded whale." Last week the whale was expertly harpooned by Bevan's No. 1 rival in the Labor Party, Deputy Leader Herbert Morrison. Apparently with full approval of Clement Attlee, Morrison, in the Laborite monthly Socialist Commentary, accused

Bevan of losing the Laborites "30 to 50 seats" in the 1951 general elections by his reckless description of Tories as "lower than vermin."

"We needed both unity and constructive thought to win that election," wrote Morrison. "Instead, we were afflicted with trouble over the so-called Bevanites. Now," Morrison went on, coldly referring at all times to his opponent as "Mr. A. Bevan," "we have had the open conflict on the front bench followed by his resignation from the parliamentary committee." Once again, thanks to Mr. A. Bevan, concluded Morrison, "cheerfulness has returned to the Tory benches; depression and annoyance have descended upon ours. Why should a number of labor parties in marginal and difficult constituencies be so eager to support damaging foolishness in the party? . . . Are they political science clubs?"

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