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Article: Sir Alec bumbles in last months of power CABINET SECRETS OF 1964: Stephen Ward and Stephen Castle review files n ow in the public domain
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- January 2, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1995 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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As Sir Alec Douglas-Home's government clung to office through the
first nine months of 1964, it showed it had lost its touch as much by
its handling of trivial as of grave matters.
Sir Alec, who had renounced his title as the 14th Earl of Home to
become Prime Minister, had an idea for dealing with the problem of
mods and rockers: to treat them like poachers.
On 29 May, the Cabinet home affairs committee considered whether
the Government could toughen the law "to deal with the possibility of
further outbreaks of teenage hooliganism at seaside resorts during
the summer". On his copy of the minutes Sir Alec scrawled: "Perhaps
the Home Secretary knows that under Scottish law the car in which a ...