ABSTRACT
BRIT AIN BEING 'FLAYED TO THE BONE' 'We are the masters at the moment, and not only at the moment, but for a very long time to come.' These words were spoken by Sir Hartley Shawcross, Attlee's Attorney-General in the House of Commons on 2 April 1946. Probably said in the heat of the moment, it was a foolish comment, and not very accurate. Some Conservatives, up and down the land, are reported to have remarked, 'Yes, but we have the pen nibs'. They were referring to the fact that most of the business elite supported them, as did many in the civil service, local government and the armed services. They implied that a radical government was limited in what it could do, even in a democratic capitalist state. Shawcross's remarks were also untrue in another sense. Britain was increasingly coming under the shadow of the US. All the fine words about British sovereignty spoken since 1940 have been largely rhetorical appeals ignoring the actual situation.
