Leeds won three-two and after the match Raymond joined the directors for a drink in the boardroom. He became so impassioned about an off-side decision that could have lost them a point that he nearly forgot about his meeting with Norman Edwards.
Joyce was in the garden showing the union leader her early snowdrops when Raymond returned.
“Sorry I’m late,” he shouted, as he hung up his yellow and blue scarf. “I’ve been to the match.”
“Who won?” asked Edwards.
“Leeds, of course, three-two.”
“Damn,” said Norman, his accent leaving the other in no doubt that he had not spent many nights outside of Liverpool.
“Come on in and have a beer,” said Raymond.
“I’d prefer a vodka.”
The two men went into the house while Joyce continued with her gardening.
“Well,” said Raymond, pouring his guest a Smirnoff. “What brings you all the way from Liverpool if it wasn’t to watch the football? Perhaps you want a signed copy of my book for your next union bonfire.”
“Don’t give me any hassle, Ray. I came all this way because I need your help, simple as that.”
“I’m all ears,” said Raymond.
“We had a full meeting of the General Purposes Committee yesterday, and one of the brothers has spotted a clause in the European Bill which could put us all out of work.”
Norman passed over a copy of the bill to Raymond with the relevant clause marked in red. It gave the minister power to make new haulage and lorry regulations which would come before the House as statutory instruments and thus could not be amended.
“If that gets through the House my boys are in deep trouble.”
“Why?” said Raymond.
“Because those bloody Frogs know only too well that there’s a Channel between us and them, and if my lads are forced by law to sleep a night each side the only people who’ll end up making money on the deal will be the guest-house proprietors.”
“What’s behind it?” asked Raymond.
“They want us to drop the stuff our end, so they can pick it up on the other side.”
“But wouldn’t that also be true when they need to deliver goods to us?”
“No. Their journeys are much longer to the coast, and they have to stay overnight anyway, not to mention the fact that there are eight of them to one of us. It’s diabolical, nothing less.”
Raymond studied the wording in detail while Edwards helped himself to another vodka.
“The clause doesn’t stop you from going over the next day.”
“And how much do you think that will add to your costs?” asked Raymond.
“I’ll tell you, enough to make us uncompetitive, that’s how much,” replied the trade union leader.
“Point taken,” said Raymond. “So what’s wrong with asking your own member to put the case?”
“Don’t trust him. He’s pro-European at any price.”
“And what about your sponsored trade union representative in the House?”
“Tom Carson? You must be joking. He’s so far to the left that even his own side are suspicious when he supports a cause. We lost the ‘tachograph’ clause because he championed it. In any case I only put him in the House to get him off my back.” Raymond laughed. “Now, all my General Purposes Committee want to know is: would you be willing to fight this clause in the House for us? Not that we can afford the sort of fees you’re used to at the bar,” he added.
“There would be no fee involved,” said Raymond, “but I’m sure you’ll be able to repay me in kind sometime in the future.”
“Got the picture,” said Edwards, touching the side of his nose with a forefinger. “What do I do next?”
“You go back to Liverpool and hope that I am better on an away pitch than your team.”
Norman Edwards put on an old raincoat and started to button it up. He smiled at Raymond. “I may have been appalled by your book, Ray. But it doesn’t mean I didn’t admire it.”
The Speaker looked down at the front bench. “Mr. Andrew Fraser.”
“Number seventeen, sir,” said Andrew.
The Speaker looked down to check over the question, seeking a Home Office answer.
Simon rose to the dispatch box, opened his file, and said, “Yes, sir.”
“Mr. Andrew Fraser,” called the Speaker again.
Andrew rose from his place on the Opposition front bench to put his supplementary.
“May I thank the minister for agreeing to an inquiry so quickly, and ask him that, if he discovers an injustice has been done to my constituent Mr. Paddy O’Halloran, that the Home Secretary will order a retrial immediately?”
Simon rose again.
“Yes, sir.”
“I am grateful to the Honorable Gentleman,” said Andrew, half-rising from his place.
All over in less than a minute, but older members who listened to the brief exchange between Fraser and Kerslake in the House that day had no doubt that considerable preparation had gone into that minute from both sides.
“The damn man missed another three-line whip, Charles. It must be the last time. You’ve been protecting him for far too long.”
“It won’t happen again,” promised Charles convincingly. “I would like to give him one more chance. Allow him that.”
“You’re very loyal to him,” said the Chief Whip. “But next time I’m going to see Kerslake myself and get to the bottom of it.”
“It won’t happen again,” repeated Charles.
“Hm,” said the Chief Whip. “Next problem is, are there any clauses on the European Bill that we should be worried about next week?”
“Yes,” replied Charles. “This haulage clause that Raymond Gould is fighting. He made a brilliant case on the floor of the House, and got all his own side and half of ours backing him.”
“He’s not the sponsored MP for the Haulage Union,” said the Chief Whip, surprised.
“No, the unions obviously felt Tom Carson wouldn’t help the cause and he’s hopping mad at the slight.”
“Clever of them to pick Gould. He improves as a speaker every time I hear him, and no one can fault him when it comes to a point of law.”
“So we’d better face the fact that we’re going to lose the clause?”
“Never. We’ll redraft the damn thing so that it’s acceptable and seen to be compassionate. It’s not a bad time to be the defender of the union interests. That way we’ll keep Gould from getting all the credit. I’ll speak to the PM tonight — and don’t forget what I said about Kerslake.”
Charles returned to his office and realized that in future he would have to be more careful about telling Simon Kerslake when he was paired for the European Bill. He suspected he had carried this ploy as far as he could for now.
Simon had read the final report prepared by his department on the O’Halloran case while Elizabeth was trying to get to sleep. He only had to go over the details once to realize that he would have to order a retrial and institute a full investigation into the past record of the police officers who had been involved in the case.
When Andrew heard the news, and that the retrial would be held in London, he asked Raymond Gould to represent O’Halloran.
“Praise indeed,” said Raymond, who still considered Andrew among the Commons’ finest orators. He somehow managed to fit O’Halloran into his busy schedule.
The trial was in its third day when Mr. Justice Comyns, after listening to Mrs. Bloxham’s evidence, stopped proceedings and instructed the jury to return a verdict of not guilty.