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often rob Bcitish workers of any
incen–
tive
to work harder. "Why work harder,
when the Government will take nearly
all of it from you in taxes !" is a com–
mon lament heard here in Britain today.
How successful the Conservative
Goverrunent ·will be in lightening Brit–
ain's tax load remains to be seeo. But
many Bcitons are
hopeful.
One reason for such heavy taxation
here in Britain is the cradle-to-grave
or womb-to-tomb, all-embracing Social
Services which the British Government
is providing its citizens.
The new Prime Minister has prom–
ised to see that the benefits of Britain's
Social Services will go where they are
most needed. He well knows, however,
that neither he nor any British Prime
Minister could long survive if they were
to tamper much with Britain's Welfare
State. The National Health Service pro–
vides free medica! care, free dental
work, plus many other free services. Brit–
ons are now so dependent on their wel–
fare handouts that they could not
possibly shed these overnight.
And ... it takes enormous sums of
money to run all of these social services.
In fact, no government in Britain will
ever be able to reduce the tax burden
appreciably until the need for welfare
benefits is drastically curtai led.
Inflation is another problem in danger
of getting out of hand in Britain. Both
wages and prices continue leap-frogging.
Nobody seems to have the will or the
power to curb Britain's inilationary
binge.
Prices are rising at an annual rate of
at least 7 percent, and wages are sky–
rocketing at the alarming rate of about
12 percent.
Mr.
Heath' s Promises
Prime Minister Heath has promised
Britain "a better tomorrow''!
He is firmly committed to getting
Britain into the Common Market - if
the conditions are right. But, since most
Britons are still
against
joining the
Common Market, Mr. Heath may have
a very stormy time trying to push a
reluctant Britain in that direction.
The Conservative Government also
hopes to resume Britain's arms sales to
The
PLAIN TRUTH
South Africa, and intends to improve
relations with Rhodesia.
Will Mr. Heath be able to drastically
red11ce taxes
-
as he and his party havc
pledged to do? And will he be able to
expand BritiJh induJJry-
to get it roll–
ing once again so it can successfully
compete in toda)"s cut-throat world
markets? (Britain now has one of the
lowest growth rates in the industrializcd
world!)
Can
Mr.
Heath's Conservative Gov–
ernment afford to keep a token force of
l<eyJione Pholo
The lord Mayor's Yeoman, Ernest
Osborne, reads the proclamalion
which dissolved parliament in pre–
paration for the June elections
British
troops
EtJ.rt
of S11ez
on into the
mid-seventies?
Will the Conservatives prevent a.nother
det(l/llation of the po1md
-
or solve
Britaio's racial problems?
An
Able Administrator
Fifry-three-year-old bachelor Prime
Minister Mr. Edward Heath is a very
capahle roan, an able administrator.
He is
from workiog-class
stock.
His
father was a master carpenter. Mr.
Heath has worked hard and is a self–
made man.
Sorne have argued that a bachelor
would make a bad Prime Minister. But
his answer is
dear:
"A mao who got
married m order to
be
a better Pnme
Minrster would be neither a good Prime
Minister nor a good husband."
August-September
1970
Mr. Heath is distressed by the
greatly diminished iofiuence of Britain,
and would like to see her
become
"Great" once again.
He is disturbed to sce the
lack of
dynamism
in today's Britain - is per–
plexed to sce so many without any
national goal or purpose. He doesn't
subscribe to the traditional "l'm all
right, Jack" attihtde.
"A
Better
Tomorrow"?
Will Mr. Heath really get Britain
rolling again? Will he restore to Britaio
her national sense of destiny? Can he
inspire modcrn "permissive" Britain
to think less about
play
and
more
about
11•ork;
or will "Little England" sink
into obltvion while her citizens bury
their
fear;,
their
hope;
and their
J11t11re
in a mad pursuit of pleasure - with
little or no moral restraint?
Britons have recently voted a new
Prime Minister into office. He has
promised many reforrns, many improve–
ments.
Dare
we
assume that, at last, a new
Government has arisen which has the
key to a utopian future for Britain? Do
we really bclieve any human govern–
ment now known to us has the real
solfttions
to thc manifold
problems
fac–
ing this nation?
Can any ek-ctive government really
briog lasting
peace, pl'ospe,.ity
and
happineJJ
to the peoples of these
British Isles?
SadJy, history indicates otherwise.
Human government has a long record
of problcrns and failures.
Today, the momentum - the fright–
ening pace of life - in this techno–
logkal agc is extremely
diffict~lt
to
harness or dircct. It
is
nearly out of
control. Britain is no exception. Jt will
be
quite a feat for
Me.
Heath and his
Tory Gov<:rnmcnt to rnaintain even the
current status quo.
A
"better tomorroul'
for Brituin will
require
more
than a supreme human
effort.
It
will require a change in per–
sonal and national character. There will
have to be an improvement in thc moral
and spiritual fiber of this nation - or
any nation -
if
aoy elected government
is to succecd.
o