European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 12, 1964, Darmstadt, Hesse Page. 4 the stars and stripes monday october 12, 1964 candidates Home Wilson present study in contrasts election May set . S world role for years by Arthur l. Gashon London a the British people vote thursday in a vital election Likely to determine the nation s place in the world for years to signs suggest n photo finish Between i Rome minister sir Alec Douglas Home s conservatives and i Anrold Wilson Salabor Lutcs. The country s lending poll sters seemed to have joined the Don some give the Edge to sir Alec others to Wal Ion. Betting Odds still make la Bor the favourites they have been since 1961 despite a stormin comeback by the conservatives. Essentially the country s 36million eligible voters about 28 million actually will cast bal lots face this Broad Issue just How can Britain today its Empire shed. Its Economy chronically threatened its in fluence marginal find a new role on a world of changing alignments part of the answer says sir Alec. keeping our in a u c i e a r deterrent Arm to be used Lor peace and conciliation. He asserts that no body would listen to a country which skulls As he says Labo wants to do beneath die Amer ican nuclear umbrella. Almost All the answer counters wll on depends on getting Britain going again by coding what he Calls the dreary commercialism of conservative Rule and by strength ening and expanding the econ omy. He wants the country to Stop 111 costly nuclear posturing which he says impresses nobody became it is not Brit ish Bat americanist s nol in dependent and it does not de Ter sir Alec and Wilson both Roseto the leadership of their parties last year. Each has had to project his personal qualities and political talents to the nation. This at times has Given the election Campaign the appearance of a Duel of Cham style As in background the two men present a study i contrasts. Yet each shares a Streak of steely resolve and a Reservoir of stamina that astounded their rivals for Power. Sir Alec at ii has a Lon career of government service which began when he accompanied prewar British prime minister Neville Chamberlain cosign the Munich agreement with become prime minister a year ago sir Alec gave up his ancient titles he was the 14th Earl of Homo and his scat inthe House of lords. His frail look and a Long wartime spinal illness led Many of his political friends and foe to underestimate him. But to has won for himself reputation for being a skilled negotiator and a Tough has led the often divided conservatives to a fighting re covery in the past year despite periodic fallen shut Stem from his patrician Outlook. Thus he referred unthinkingly in a nationwide television broadcast to donations his government would give needy old Folk As if old age pension payments were nets of Charity. Wilson 48, looks round an impressive with an Iron Gray crap of hair and an Alert appearance. Questioners rur Cly trip him but his manner of knowing All the answers has seemed to alienate rather than attract some voters especially attended slate schools winning scholarships that took him through a distinguished career at Oxford where by 21 he had become a lecturer. Ten years later he was in labor s first postwar Cabinet. Where sir Alec had Towin the Confidence of the Brit ish electorate in his ability Loleada and Rule. Wilson has had to gain us Trust. Some col leagues and newspapers have portrayed him it a ruthless calculating cold political schemer. Ii is a picture disputed by close friends and sub ordinates who attribute his aloofness to . His single Man Riveri Ammilon to a burning belief in Britain s greatness. The sometimes bitter dislike sir Alec and Wilson share for each other has Corr used fro some of the things they have said in their Campaign speeches. Some extracts from speeches sir Alec has made about Wilson and the labovites he s the socialist spider ill tin at the Center of the web at what enl. No White paper approach for them instead of facts slogans instead of Fig ures rhetoric. Their Lac tics seem to be drawn Hal from Hie auction ring half from the chamber of horrors. Their program is half baked. They re dither legs. Wafers. Inevitably they will nationalize More As poll and Money an illusion that has failed to solve the country s deep rooted economic prob lems. He promises virile Leader ship. A National plan. Mobilization of All the re sources of All the people. A True partnership Between the people and their parliament. To build the new Britain he says the whole world wants. More than 1.700 candidates representing Eliout a dozen Pur tics or groups will run for the630 places in the elected House cles begin to fall. Controls will become tighter until Brit Ain is u completely centralized state. Some extracts from Wilson s speeches about sir Alec and the conservatives he is an elegant Gnu Chiron Sam. Provides grouse Moor leadership. Sir Alec threw in every distortion every mis representation he or his speech writers could invent to conceal the truth about the nation economic difficulties. His speech convicts him either of deliberately misleading the British Public for electioneering purposes or of living in a make believe world into which the hard facts of economics and paying our Way arc not Al Lowed to penetrate. A Victory taking the conservatives Back to office for the fourth Lime since 1851 would mean continuation of free Enterprise policies at Home an orthodox altitudes abroad. Conservatives base their Appeal Toile country on the twin themes o. Nevin a achieved Prosperity and secured peace. They argue that labor with outdated doctrines and in tried divided leadership would ruin Britain s High living stand s your Standard of living keep la with Ibe ," Fry the bold Blue and while tory posters. A Victory taking Wilson Toile premiership would mean a moderate socialist approach tithe Domestic and problems besetting Grid ten. La Borics have campaigned on promises to shake up and pen up British life and so reti1 country moving into the revolutionary scientific Era of the 20th Century. Proclaiming in s time for change Wilson labels conservative Prosperity As an illusion resting on borrowed time Fern Fly. Class and other social distinctions in is64 May mean much less than they did in 19a9.there has not been the same splitting into regions As in the All this has been creatine sonic confusion in the surveys i a k c n by the pollsters. An Overall the True Impact of Tele vision on politics has yet to be measured. It has become a fact of Brit tub Point Ful life that during election campaigns both main parties move toward the Center. Sir Alec Douglas Home. Conservative Leader of commons. Conservative Sand la borates arc the chief contenders. But the Middle Road liberals cherish an out Sider s Hope of winning enough cats to exercise the balance of Power in a close of the winning party will become prime minister with u maximum term of live election conies five yours and one week after he conservatives under Harold Macmillan. Swept Back to Power with a margin of 100 House of commons seats Over allot her parties combined. The 1151 result was conservative and allies365 culs labor 258 liberals6 and one inde pendent. To win decisively Labo needs a swing of 4 to 5 per cent of the vote Over he 1959 s electoral system is so finely Polard that anything less would produce Only n Small margin for either Side and pos Sibly deadlock with the Liber als commanding the balance. One reason is that support for the two main Par lies is nol evenly spread Over the country. In some districts labor piles up huge margin which tin nut affect other Small but significant Anil Tabor Bias thus has built up which. In . Was calculated at 1 to per Mil. To secure equal numbers of scats. Conservatives accordingly Nee Bill a boil 45 s per cent of the poll Tabor 47.3 per cent if the1959 pattern is repeated. Not All authorities Are con Vinced however that 1939 pal terns will be repealed. There have been some that a Kocat sociological change has Rcpt across the country Al most Unolt Torvi a in the Pas five years. Working class housing development Are not nce Sharily expected to turn too easily to labor. Equally Well to do precincts and towns arc not to eager for the conservatives. Towns that seem to lookalike Are beginning to react Dif Harold Wilson. Labor Leader pressure Crol is on in extreme fringes Are muted for Feur of alienating the vast solid mass of moderate opinion. % Oters therefore lend to Sec both parties us having the same goals but favouring differing methods of achieving them. Foreign policy in the Curren Campaign therefore has been carrying Little weight in Thep arlies rival programs. Some associated problems nuclear weapon control have roused passions in districts which could be affy Clad by changes of on the whole conserva Tive claims that labor wants to relegate Britain to the sidelines and labor counterclaims that the conservatives have already put Britain there usually have been greeted on the hustings by weary yawns. The most obvious Case pinpoint sir Alec against expert advice has been plugging the argument for preserving Britain nuclear armory. But at conservative head quarters in in Inion s Smith Square the theme is Prosperity. Sir Alec and Wilson have both stressed they will stand loyally by Britain s alliances. Each says Britain s foreign policy must be anchored by Friendship and cooperation with he United slates. But overtones of nationalism also Mark both programs. Thus the conservative Mani festo insists Britain must in the ultimate resort have independently controlled nuclear Power to deter an and the labor Manifest pledges. A new Way of life that will rekindle an authentic patriotic Faith in our future. In the Campaign itself the iwo big parties have reversed tactics because of leadership problems. Conservatives traditionally have been the party of the dominant Leader a Churchill an Eden or a Macmillan. But on this occasion the taut fac of sir Alec has Given Way in party billboards to pictures of Happy families and thriving old , the party of collective leadership this time has plastered a carefully chosen shot of the pipe smoking Wilson in his Hom Eliest mood across the developments coupled with other pointers Tell then own Story. Conservative planners simply do not consider sir Alec to be u match for the acute press an television interviewers who at tend the Dally news party Headquarters. The Job instead is performed by the Bland cheery solid looking Reginald maudlin of Chancellor of the exchequer who has been Able to take car of All the curves pitched at him. For his part Wilson has no for a moment loosen. 1 his per Sonal grip on the reins of labor s Campaign. He hat taken every dully news con Ference on his own to Date transporting the party quarters wherever be goes. European edition army col Ridgway p. Mith or. It Attr left cm4. .vuman.,f info. Cire Ulun i -.". To til two my. 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