Andrew
PARLIAMENT
Sheppard Syndication International
word suggests a ruthless bunch of faceless men persuading the legislators? by devious and unsavoury means?to serve their own private cause, and against the public interest. The Shorter Oxford, happily, speaks more innocently of 'originally a monastic term' and those 'who frequent the lobby to influence members of the legislature'. Right now, it looks as if mental health could do with a touch of the ruthlessness connotated by the first definition, and the open-ness at least not ruled out by the second. The plethora of other problems, superficially far more immediate, which has driven Parliament to 4.30 am Red Flag-singing pitch has crowded mental health right out of the picture. Perhaps one cannot expect Sir Keith Joseph, the Social Services Minister, to spell out the full implications of his autumn mental health policy all that quickly but, a little question time apart, MPs have been too busy even to remind him that his words are awaited with bated breath. This sort of situation has happened to cause after cause, time and again. At such crisis periods, there has often been an effective answer: a single backbencher has taken up the battle to the exclusion of almost all but his constituency interests. To take a smaller problem, the late Labour MP Norman Dodds held a dual-constituency? Erith and Crayford and the Gipsies. Until success in 1968, Tory Airey Neave represented both Abingdon and former British prisoners in Sachsenhausen concentration
Lobby, (suffix-ist)?the
camp.
Clearly, mental illness is a far more serious issue. It will come nearer the limelight again when Sir Keith speaks out. Yet mental health should not be pushed under the carpet for even a single week. Perhaps
serious
search for two
benchers who
thought ought
to
be
given
to
a
three among the 450 non-frontcould keep an intense and vocal
or
watching brief colleagues.
when other
matters
distract their
With the NAMH's national publicity campaign in full swing, the Commons lull may now be over. But with other affairs showing no sign of calming down either, another damaging doldrums season could easily interrupt the impetus won by the campaign. A small group of tireless beavers, meeting weekly to plan action, could well ensure that attention is focused on mental problems at all times. Not by over-pestering Sir Keith Joseph and losing his good will?but by shrewdly drafted questions and quick supplementaries to Ministers in other related now
subjects.
PARLIAMENT
Sheppard Syndication International
word suggests a ruthless bunch of faceless men persuading the legislators? by devious and unsavoury means?to serve their own private cause, and against the public interest. The Shorter Oxford, happily, speaks more innocently of 'originally a monastic term' and those 'who frequent the lobby to influence members of the legislature'. Right now, it looks as if mental health could do with a touch of the ruthlessness connotated by the first definition, and the open-ness at least not ruled out by the second. The plethora of other problems, superficially far more immediate, which has driven Parliament to 4.30 am Red Flag-singing pitch has crowded mental health right out of the picture. Perhaps one cannot expect Sir Keith Joseph, the Social Services Minister, to spell out the full implications of his autumn mental health policy all that quickly but, a little question time apart, MPs have been too busy even to remind him that his words are awaited with bated breath. This sort of situation has happened to cause after cause, time and again. At such crisis periods, there has often been an effective answer: a single backbencher has taken up the battle to the exclusion of almost all but his constituency interests. To take a smaller problem, the late Labour MP Norman Dodds held a dual-constituency? Erith and Crayford and the Gipsies. Until success in 1968, Tory Airey Neave represented both Abingdon and former British prisoners in Sachsenhausen concentration
Lobby, (suffix-ist)?the
camp.
Clearly, mental illness is a far more serious issue. It will come nearer the limelight again when Sir Keith speaks out. Yet mental health should not be pushed under the carpet for even a single week. Perhaps
serious
search for two
benchers who
thought ought
to
be
given
to
a
three among the 450 non-frontcould keep an intense and vocal
or
watching brief colleagues.
when other
matters
distract their
With the NAMH's national publicity campaign in full swing, the Commons lull may now be over. But with other affairs showing no sign of calming down either, another damaging doldrums season could easily interrupt the impetus won by the campaign. A small group of tireless beavers, meeting weekly to plan action, could well ensure that attention is focused on mental problems at all times. Not by over-pestering Sir Keith Joseph and losing his good will?but by shrewdly drafted questions and quick supplementaries to Ministers in other related now
subjects.
