§ 2.44 p.m.
§ THE LORD PRIVY SEAL (THE EARL OF LONGFORD)My Lords, with the permission of the House, I would inform your Lordships that my noble friend Lord Walston will be making a Statement on the Agricultural Review as soon as possible after 3.30 p.m.
Before we proceed to the business of the day, I hope and believe that the House will allow me to refer to the change in the leadership of the Liberal Party in this House, the news of which has just reached us. The noble Lord, Lord Rea, has been Leader of the Liberals here for 12 years, and has earned the gratitude and admiration, not only of his own Party but of the whole House for the manner in which he has discharged his responsibilities. It cannot have been easy to follow so exceptional a Leader as the late Lord Samuel, but I know that I am paying the noble Lord, Lord Rea, a compliment which he will appreciate if I say that in the eyes of all he has proved worthy of his mighty predecessor.
We have all learned to appreciate the noble Lord's interventions, always appropriate, grave or gay, wise or witty, or both, as the occasion has demanded. He is perhaps the only leading man in any Legislature, let alone your Lordships' House, who habitually sits down while his audience are still hoping he will continue. He has been accessible to all. A number of us have enjoyed his close friendship. Those like myself and the noble Lord, Lord Carrington, who have had official relations with him, know particularly well his constructive outlook and total integrity. Now that he has relieved himself of the cares of office, and that his health is so visibly restored, we all look forward to his playing a large part in the affairs of this House for many years to come.
Until a few minutes ago I was not sure whether I should be offering a warm welcome to the noble Lord, Lord Wade, or to the noble Lord, Lord Byers. I came here prepared to eulogise with equal warmth and zeal the qualities of the 287 reflective dreamer, or of the hard-hitting man of affairs in the form of the noble Lord, Lord Byers, each of them full of good sense and political experience and virtue. The lot has fallen on the noble Lord, Lord Byers. I will only say now that we all feel sure that he will make a first-rate Leader, and I know that the House will join me in offering every good wish for the times ahead, with a measure of sympathy for our good friend Lord Wade.
§ LORD CARRINGTONMy Lords, perhaps I may he allowed to join the noble Earl the Leader of the House in his speech—which was clearly out of order, as mine will be—to say one or two words about the noble Lord, Lord Rea. First of all, we are all glad to see how much better he is and how well he looks. Secondly—and I hope this will not do him any damage with his colleagues—I would say how very popular and greatly respected he was by those of us who sit on these Benches, not only because of his personal qualities, but because whenever he made a speech he had something interesting to say, he said it with humour, and was short. If anybody had to have a political reference given him, I think that is just about the best political reference he could have. I hope that we shall often hear him in future saying something interesting, saying something funny and saying it shortly.
I confess that I did not come here prepared to eulogise either Lord Wade or Lord Byers. I think I will wait and see how the noble Lord, Lord Byers, turns out before I do that. But what I should like to do, on behalf of those who sit on these Benches, is to congratulate him warmly on his election and wish him well within the narrow limits of Party political warfare.
LORD REAMy Lords, I do not know under what Standing Order a noble Lord is allowed to refer to his own quasi-obituary notice but, nevertheless, I must express my deep emotion at hearing such very kind words from the noble Earl the Leader of the House and my noble friend Lord Carrington, both of them personal and valued friends, whom I have known for a long time. I have been involved in the activities of the Liberal Party for about fifty years. It crosses my mind that that is the exact time which the Liberal 288 Party took root in permanent Opposition. Therefore, it strikes me that perhaps this is a good moment to make a change on our Front Bench in order that the Party, possibly unlike the Bishops, may perhaps change their Benches in future.
In another place it is a tradition that, however acrimonious or severe or unkind are the words which are said in the Chamber, there exists behind the scenes a real friendship between Members, and I am sure that that is true to a very large degree. But I do not think that there is any other Parliamentary Chamber in the world where real friendship of Members of all parties exists behind the scenes as it does in this House. There is no single Peer of any Party, no Clerk of the Parliaments or his officials—and I have seen several of them—as well as Lord Chancellors, Leaders of the House and Leaders of the Opposition, whom I, and I am sure anybody else, would not approach happily, being quite certain of sympathy, friendship and kindness. My gratitude is a little more than I can express.