[The Tory Party have just recruited • one…]

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The Tory Party have just recruited • one George Ward, managing director of • a little known film processing business in North London, to their approved list of possible Parliamentary candidates.

This Mr. Ward-who has apparently gained some recent experience in handling trade unions-has, says the Daily Telegraph, all the necessary qualifications for the job, although he is at present without a constituency.

Marcus Fox, Tory vice chairman in charge of candidates, told the paper: He conveyed to us 'his very strong beliefs in the things the Conservatives stand for".

Mr Ward himself said: "I believe that some of my recent experiences are relevant to finding a proper relationship between the trade union movement and the rest of the nation"

Very good. Excellent. Just what the nation needs, a "proper relationship"

Judging from this article it looks as if Mr. Ward could join the immortals.

Certainly the Telegraph is anxious that those who rise to the top of the Tory tree are given their true place in history.

Last week the paper launched a new series assessing the many statesmen in the ranks of that great party, with an editorial which asked, rather rudely, "Is Mrs. Thatcher's Shadow Cabinet a bunch of faceless nonentities?"

Apparently the answer is no.

"These pieces emphatically deny that Mrs. Thatcher is encompassed by mediocrity" , says the paper.

The first to be assessed is a Sir Geoffrey Howe, who is said to resemble Baldwin in his "modest reasonableness"

He has apparently a reputation as Mogadon man because he puts people to sleep but, says the Telegraph this is unfair.

He has in the past tried to introduce such good sound Tory measures as making racial discrimination legal in the private housing market, (which if adopted says the Telegraph, would have avoided the 'embarrassment of the Robert Relf case).

The only other assessment so far has been of Sir Keith Joseph who is said to have sustained the Tory Party's association of 'intellectuality (!) with mental instability".

This possible future chancellor is described thus:

"He will treat the questioner-no matter how nihilistic, mean minded or uninterested in genuine discussion he or she may be-as an earnest seeker after truth, just like himself.

Courteously, he will explain that capitalism is a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition of freedom. After which the world will go on his way with everyone believing what they did before"

So this Mr. Ward is certainly heading for exalted company. We should surely give thanks to those trade union leaders who allowed him to pick up his valuable qualifications. margins were maintained.

But while Post Office managers in this instance used sanctions to force these firms to open their books, union leaders have taken no such action. Nobody knows how many other firms are overcharging" the Post Office.

Killing

Meanwhile as BL Cars chairman Michael Edwardes continues to use the acute financial crisis of the company as a lever with which he hopes to force through further speed-up under the guise of an 'incentives scheme, figures from the privately-owned component firms indicate that they are making a killing on the backs of Leyland workers.

A survey has shown that the top ten UK motor component groups hit an average profit margin on sales of 8.2% in the past year. Some went as high as 12.2%. Without the "state-owned" BL Cars these margins would be substantially hit.

Manipulated

And though some of the figures for foreign-based component firms appeared lower, it is likely that in many instances these figures are manipulated to dodge tax.

As the Financial Times pointed out, (with a frankness not seen during the Chrysler rescue operation three years ago:

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