Close Votes & Dark Omens

A Labor M.P. under the pressure of Harold Wilson's majority of three, lives in a state of virtual siege these days. The siege castle, of course, includes those pleasant precincts of the Palace of Westminster where a barbershop, showers, a gym, restaurants and a wine cellar exist. Nonetheless, from Monday through Thursday, Wilson's members are hostages against the dread possibility of a sudden vote in Commons in which the government might not be able to muster its slim majority--and thus might conceivably be toppled from power. Only when "paired" with an absent Tory M.P. can a Laborite be excused during the sessions, which sometimes run all night. Otherwise he must stay within sprinting distance of the Commons' doors, which are locked exactly seven minutes after a division bell sounds.

"Resign!" Labor's worst fears nearly materialized one night last week on an amendment to the finance bill. When the division bell sounded, Labor's Postmaster-General, Anthony Wedgewood Benn, was showing a friend the Commons crypt--one spot where no bell sounds. Another backbencher, Michael English, was working on a research project in the basement, where he had arranged to be telephoned; the switchboard was jammed. Parliamentary Secretary Norman Pentland was chatting with a friend when he heard the clanging; deciding to finish his conversation, he arrived just as the Commons' doors were slammed in his face.

As easily as that, Labor's three-vote majority was gone. The House was unaware of what had happened until the vote was announced: 281 for, 281 against. After a stunned moment of disbelief, the Tories began to shout, "Resign! resign!" Shadow Chancellor Edward Heath leaped to his feet to proclaim, "It is quite apparent the government is in no position to carry on its business. Send for the Prime Minister--wherever he may be!"

Wherever Harold Wilson was, he was not needed. Following custom in a tie, the chairman voted with the government, and on the next division Labor mustered a majority of five. Even if Labor had actually lost the vote, Wilson could have called for a vote of confidence and won it: neither Labor nor the Conservatives are, in fact, ready for a new election yet.

Nihilistic Genius. Still, the tie was a reminder of how close Wilson's government is to the edge of power--and there are signs of some dissatisfaction in Britain with Wilson's stewardship. Wilson's economic policy has not yet righted sterling nor has it had its impact on modernizing the British economy (see WORLD BUSINESS). Little of Wilson's legislative program has been successful, and what many Britons remember best are the new taxes on cigarettes, liquor and car licenses, which produced the biggest boost in the average Briton's cost of living in a decade. Declared the Economist, which strongly supported Wilson in last October's election: the current economic state is "an achievement of nihilistic genius after seven months of Labor's economic planning . . . Three times round has gone Labor's gallant ship. How soon does it sink to the bottom of the sea?"

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