The Hoonomist of Decanber 21 carried an article "Dum and Dee" ~ we have extracted the most important parts
It is at present extremely difficult to know what politics ain this country are supposed to be about. The Conservative Government’ has this week published Whitehall's public expenditure plans up to 1967=8 eeselir, Callaghan has said that Labour's own estimates are tastoni shins gly similar". It seems to be implicitly...assumed in the Goverrment!s . white paper that this planned increase in public spending would suffice by itself to keep national growth rolling forward at. A% per annum; it is said that there can be no major reductions in taxation ‘before 1967-8 unless private savings increase..e.-llere again, as far as one can see, Labour agrees. On the policies needed to counter the main obstacles in the way of such 4% growth.;.. the parties may have different policies but as neither party has coherently explained what its policy on these matters is, the electorate can be excused for befuddlement.
The truth is that for the time being the political battle has become a holding operation, with Labour relying on the flonting voter's overt boredom with the Government and the Government relying on what it hopes is still the floating voter's covert distrust of Labour. The year's policital battle came in like a lion, with the nighty issue of the European Common Market dominating.seee@ll sensible people's attentions Soth parties now scsem to be ready to see it go out like a fuzzy old sheepa .