Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - March 21, 1980, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free March i960 t focus Maceachen reaches for politicians top prize Ottawa through most of his Allan Maceachen has regarded reporters much As one might regard a race of pygmy cannibals As easy to Cope with that but As dangerous in during the last couple of Maceachen has talked to More report ers than at any time during his 17 years As Cabinet except Brief when As labor minister in the Early 60s he had to explain to a disbelieving Public How come the ramp and Fri combined locate seafarers International Union president Hal Banks who was on the run from the Law and it turned had run no further than a yacht in new York one reason Maceachen talks More these Days he still Doest say any thing is that Hes being asked More reporters have realized that quite aside from his titles As Deputy prime minister and minister of i Maceachen is equal than anyone else around the Cabinet table other than Pierre Trudeau Good copy weve realized As Well that Macea Chen makes Good were having great fun writing up stuff about Eachen As a romantic Celt readers must be wondering if he spends More time bemoaning Culloden and the Highland clearances than in worrying about interest quite possibly he ask Macea Chen a question about things and he envelopes you in a semantic ask him about things and his prose turns As sparkling As a Salmon thus Maceachen flew to Toronto to speak at a dinner at which the mag nates of our mining Industry had Gath ered to Salute the Dean of Canadian 86yearold Bill More important to cough up Cash for a chair in the pure and applied sciences to be established in James name at his and Maceachen Alma Nova Scotia Francis Xavier i hitched a flight Back with Macea i inquired about things this did open up a few gaps amid the smoke higher taxes Are on their Way it is not possible to contemplate any thing but new sources of Revenue to offset the effect upon the deficit of higher debt charges and of higher Oil import a Surprise Maceachen now is less certain than he was that it May be possible to offset the effects of higher mortgage rates by some form of shelter allow i am looking at what might be done but i am not because of the problems of Cost and of that anything can be Maceachen indirectly supported the Bank of Canadas policy of raising interest rates to protect the value of the his own duty Maceachen turned the conversation to things Celt he told a Long funny Story he tells them Well about a pan gaelic Confer ence in Toronto As Maceachen recounted the i noticed he pronounced gaelic As Gal which version was i asked gallic is How you say gaelic in Maceachen to be helpful he its spelled Gad he a hot but an Maceachen is using his celtic Back which indeed is Central to his As a Hes using that to turn himself into a political favored spot at Maceachen May be too old to win the one political prize the prime minister ship which has eluded yet it int entirely beyond his assume that Trudeau Steps Down in three years by Maceachen May have carved out for himself the favored spot on the Liberal spectrum on the As the sound economist with the social the goal Maceachen May be aiming at in three years time is Worth speculating about today because what he Hopes then to do will dictate what he now no one doubts Maceachen credentials As a the unknown is his soundness As an thus Pat president of the Automo live parts manufacturers a Friend of Maceachen and his one time believes Maceachen will go out of his Way to demonstrate his soundness by Tilting a Little to the hell Surprise 99 per cent of Canad says Hes very prag and very in his pragmatic Mac Eachen used the conversation aboard the plane to drop a hint that he really is As sound on economic matters As he is progressive on social he he the Canadian representative on the Board of governors of another Alma mater the Massachusetts Institute of do you know who my predecessors Maceachen Howe and Bob win Ive no idea whether Maceachen eventually will win the ultimate Politi Cal but Ive no doubt Hes reach ing for Richard Gwyn lord a 60yearold landed has created an assertive new diplomatic role for a Gamble won daring diplomacy returns to Whitehall by Leonard Downie London there is still k ghostly atmosphere of lost Empire about the British foreign symbolized by the Energy saving darkness that in shrouds the grand staircase and Marble the encrusted old paintings on the and the ornate but there also Are signs of a new sense of purpose since Margaret Thatcher became Bri taints prime minister last May and made lord Carrington her foreign beginning with the great Gamble won in a newly confident and daring British diplomacy is winning renewed International attention and in despite Britain shrunken Power abroad and continuing economic crisis at for months it has been like old times inside the cavernous foreign and Commonwealth office in Whitehall from where the foreign policy of a major world Power and sprawling Empire was once my Telephone has been ringing off the Hook with people asking about Prince Charles program in complained a harried Diplomat the other european initiative among other pressing Respo Sibili he was knee deep in preparations for the Royal ceremony granting in dependence to the new nation of Zimbabwe next made possible by Britain achievement of a peace agreement and Black majority Rule in the last Large he and other diplomats also were busily involved in the British launched european initiative to negotiate a Solu Tion to the afghan the behind the scenes British leadership of the european move to recognize the right of palestinians to a and the vigorous British efforts to enhance Britain financial and leadership Posi Tion in the common the world was ready for Britain to pursue a More Active role in foreign affairs than it had in recent explained one foreign office the rest of the world recognizes that Britain still has diplomatic experience and creative role Britain still can have a unique and creative role in Western foreign poli agreed a senior american Diplo mat and lord Carrington is filling that after a 60yearold landed aristocrat with considerable foreign and defense experience in previous conservative became foreign he told britons he Locking ourselves unsure of increasingly fiercely nationalistic but with our sovereignty locked up in a deed he has created an assertive new diplomatic role for while remaining generally supportive of the United Britain is moving closer to Europe and becoming More Active As a policy innovator in the increasing political cooperation among the nine common Market countries on major International this Means combining without conflict Britain traditional special relationship with the United a larger role in and British ties with Many nonaligned particularly those in the old British Empire and the present British common Britain believes it must still stand up and be counted with the United states when As it has in put Ting pressure on British athletes to Boycott the Moscow but Britain is also demonstrating that it is not just a Standin or Trojan horse apr the United As it has in independently suggesting the afghan neutrality moving to support palestinian and spearheading common Market Resis Tance to what europeans believe Are unfair trading Britain and the other european allies Carrington said that Alliance with the is the Bedrock of Europe but he also warned that there will be times when the and even the policies of the common Market will diverge somewhat from that of the on other occasions we will work to per Suade the to modify its Carrington also has brought to Brit ish diplomacy his own Dar ing he has instilled new self con Tidence in British especially with his successful Gamble in Rhode no one really thought when we started Down the Road in Rhodesia last August that it would admit Ted a Well placed British our Success gave us immeasurable Confidence and caught the worlds at making other things possible since free hand since being persuaded by Carrington to follow his advice on Thatcher has Given him a largely free hand to devise policy with the Assis Tance of an unusually experienced conservative foreign office team headed by Ian the governments for eign policy spokesman in the House of commons and an aristocrat like his old Friend the resulting policies Are strikingly less dogmatic than thatchers frequently strident Public statements on International this has enabled Carrington to appear More accommodating than particularly when dealing with sceptical common Market partners like French diplomats believe Carrington disapproves of How Thatcher drama Tizes such As her Daggres unbending bargaining posture in the acrimonious negotiations Between Britain and the rest of the common Market Over the size of its financial contribution to the she Breaks the said a French official of but he de scribed Carrington As a Man of integ Rity you can talk purposely vague like Henry Carrington uses Bluff and Bravura As diplomatic his bold initiatives have been purposely allowing plenty of leeway for this was the Case in the rhodesian when even British Diplo for All their Well known attention to did not know what direction the talks and later events would the British certainly were not expecting or eager to have Robert Mugabe emerge As prime minister of Zim something Carrington could never have sold in Advance to the other parties at the peace talks or Many conservatives but it was allowed to happen As Black majority Rule and the British Are pleased that peaceful Independence has result one knowledgeable analyst Here described the palestinian self de termination initiative As More than a trial balloon but less than a plan at this he also considers the afghan neutrality initiative primarily a Tacti Cal move by Carrington to close the Gap Between Britain and the rest of Europe on the Issue and formulate a policy around which All of Europe can the Washington Post ans until this past the United Church of Canada has been remarkably free from squabbles Over such modern Day topics As sex out Side Wedlock and the other topics that Are such favourites of the Small 1 Liberal segment of a report from a committee of 10 in Toronto has certainly changed All the United Church seems destined to follow other denominations who want to air these differences of opinion in pub the committees that homosexuals be admitted to the that rules such As the 10 commandments Are not helpful if they Are literally or simplistically and that sexual unfaithfulness in marriage can be acceptable As Long As it is Practised in a responsible and joyous May be understandable in but it is a Safe bet the ideas sit Well with the mature and Cor Ergative members who make up of the United Church co Grega ii uns on the nor should these ideas be Fred Cleversey if the committees report is representative of the thinking of the Liberal Wing of the it has taken a Long time to it seems aimed More at the destruction of the Church As it now exists rather than becoming a method of attracting members of the now this now Genera Tion is no More attracted to responsible Church membership than the age group that makes it up has Ever been so Young people tend to leave Church attendance and All it involves As soon As they Are old enough to escape their parents ability to Force them to take they return to Church membership Only when they feel the responsibility of parenthood these people will continue to leave the Church during their adolescence no matter what standards the Church if the Church makes the mistake of mixing up adopting the values of adolescence rather than those of it May find that those who both Young and will never most congregations have undergone minor revolutions of this few have escaped the experience of having a spiritual Leader who is convinced that the Only Way to attract Young people is to adopt their it usually includes a collection of youth where traditional music is replaced by and where the traditional Mes Sage is replaced by a drama designed to Tell the Story As it congregations that have experimented with such changes have discovered that the attraction lasts about As Long As the and that those who Are attracted can be just As easily and leave As soon As the new seeking new also the departures always include a few of the More mature members of the who de cide that a Church that Abandons traditional values can get along without them As perhaps this is what the Toronto committee has in perhaps the six men and four women who wrote the and who maintain it is Only for discussion have other objectives in perhaps they have Given up attempting to dislodge the people who make up the Church and Are trying to Force them on the theory that the Best change comes from completely destroying what exists on the Hope that its replacement will be some what Robin who was in charge of toe preparation of the suggests that those who will oppose it will do so because they Are he has been quoted As saying that religion is the place where insecurity has its final on those so Inse cure they believe they Are capable of chancing standards that have served Well for Robin Smith opposition insecure ;