HC Deb 22 November 1961 vol 649 cc1350-1
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Mr. Iain Macleod)

May I call your attention, Mr. Speaker, and that of the House, to the fact that the hon. Member for Liverpool, Scotland (Mr. Logan) is in his place and offer him the warmest congratulations of the House on his 90th birthday.

Mr. Gaitskell

Before you become worried about the rules of order, Mr. Speaker, may I hastily say on behalf of all my right hon. and hon. Friends that we are delighted to greet my hon. Friend today. He is, I think, the third person in the history of the House to reach the age of 90 while still a Member. We wish him many, many, happy returns.

Hon. Members

Hear, hear.

Mr. Speaker

Mr. Logan, for a personal explanation.

Mr. Logan

I thank you first, Mr. Speaker, for your kindliness in having recognised one so humble in the House. The touch of human nature which I have experienced these last 24 hours has been one of the greatest marks of the unification of the minds of right hon. and hon. Members in the House in—I do not wish to be diffident—recognising merit. I do not expect that any other Member would rise to say that personally about himself, because they are too humble. But I have not learned humility here. I learned it outside, married.

From my heart, I thank the House and the Leader of the House. I do not suppose that the next ten years of my life will be very hard to go through, but I hope that I shall be able to see the right hon. Gentleman when he is as old as I am. There is one consolation which an old Irish lady gave to me a few weeks ago. She said, "Dave, when you die—if God spares you—we will give you a wonderful funeral."