§ 2.58 p.m.
§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (THE EARL OF LONGFORD)My Lords, at a suitable moment after 3.30 p.m. this afternoon my noble friend Lord Chalfont will be making a Statement on Vietnam.
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, we shall await that Statement with great interest. Though I fear that I may be out of Order may I say that this is the first opportunity I have had, on behalf of those sitting on these Benches, first of all of congratulating the noble Earl the Leader of the House on having managed to retain his seat in the rather unexciting game of musical chairs which has just concluded; and also of commiserating with him, and those on that side of the House and the House as a whole—all of us—on the loss the House has suffered by the retirement of the noble Lord, Lord Champion. He will always be remembered by those of us who sit on this side for his courtesy and for the trouble he took. He was a master of the art of the soft answer that spikes the gun. We shall miss, too, the noble Lord, Lord Rhodes, that unorthodox, unexpected and amusing character. At the same time, we very much welcome the noble Lord, Lord Shackleton, in his new office and wish him well in the duties he has now undertaken.
§ LORD OGMOREMy Lords, from these Benches I should like to support entirely what the noble Lord, Lord Carrington, has said. I myself felt that the 120 noble Lord, Lord Champion, who had not been with us very long in this House—though he certainly had great experience of another place—became a most accomplished Parliamentarian. So far as we on these Benches are concerned, the noble Lord showed us every possible courtesy. In one long Bill in which I took a slight part, the Veterinary Surgeons Bill, no one, unless he was a veterinary surgeon, could have been more expert or more helpful to us.
I should also like to say how much we shall miss the Yorkshire dry wit of the noble Lord, Lord Rhodes. I hope he will not regard his relegation to the Back Benches as any indication that we feel he should be silent as well as no longer in the prominence of the Front Bench.
§ THE EARL OF LONGFORDMy Lords, I know that everyone on my side of the House, and indeed the whole House, will wish to express our appreciation of the remarks about my noble friends Lord Champion, Lord Rhodes and Lord Shackleton which have fallen from the noble Lord, Lord Carrington, and the noble Lord, Lord Ogmore, in their most generous fashion. I will not allude to the remarks so kindly made about myself. If one looks up the Kipling story of the old wolf, Akela, who missed his spring more than once, one will find he brought in adventitious age to sustain his role. I assure the House that I shall not embark upon any such unfair tactic. We are all very grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Carrington, and the noble Lord, Lord Ogmore, for what they have said about Lord Champion.
I will not in this place dwell upon the services of Lord Champion to the Government or the Labour Party or, for that matter, on his support to myself, but upon his services in the role of Deputy Leader of the House. I should like to say this. Every now and again in a legislative assembly there emerges someone who, by his very presence, seems to make everyone feel a little better, and perhaps to be a little better and to behave a little better, if possible, to their neighbours. Such a man has been, and will long continue to be, Lord Champion. He has strengthened us in a great many ways. I hope and believe that he will be very active in this House for a long time. He is a man of retiring disposition, 121 but I hope the House will insist on his speaking constantly; and, let us assure him, the more he speaks the more welcome it will be to the entire House of Lords.
My Lords, I am sure we all appreciate what was said about the noble Lord, Lord Rhodes. He has a flavour all of his own. He is what is called a "character", which is an achievement of few of us. His flavour and character have been, and I know will long be, appreciated in this House. It is not for me to say whether he is of a more or a less retiring disposition than the noble Lord, Lord Champion, but I hope that he again will not be too retiring but will continue to demonstrate to us that humour, seriousness and eternal youth go hand in hand. The more often we hear from him also, I think, the better.
I am sure we are very glad that Lord Shackleton has become Deputy Leader. This is a case where sorrow and joy inevitably go together. He bears a name which will always be honoured in Britain, and he has done much to make it still more honoured. Since he has been in this House he has proved himself an expert Parliamentarian in a great many ways. I am sure that as time goes on he will play an ever greater and more distinguished part in your Lordships' House.