Barbara Castle, diary entry (11 June 1975), quoted in Barbara Castle, The Castle Diaries 1974–76 (1980), pp. 415-416
“
Now, to fit into his reshuffle jigsaw puzzle, he has put Reg P. in the Cabinet but as Minister of Overseas Development under the FO. It is this kind of behaviour that makes one despair of him. He subordinates all considerations, not only of principle but of administrative effectiveness, to his balance of power manoeuverings.
— Barbara Castle on Harold Wilson
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "Now, to fit into his reshuffle jigsaw puzzle, he has put Reg P. in the Cabinet but as Minister of Overseas Development under the FO. It is this kind of behaviour that makes one despair of him. He subordinates all considerations, not only of principle but of administrative effectiveness, to his balance of power manoeuverings." in the context of "Barbara Castle, diary entry (11 June 1975), quoted in Barbara Castle, The Castle Diaries 1974–76 (1980), pp. 415-416" to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Harold Wilson" (Quotes about Wilson)
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Barbara Castle
Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, PC, GCOT (née Betts, 6 October 1910 – 3 May 2002) was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Blackburn from 1945 to 1979, making her the longest-serving female MP in the history of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, until her record was surpassed in 2007 by Gwyneth Dunwoody. She became the Member of the European Parliament for Greater Manchester North in 1979, and later Greater Manchester West (European Parliament constituency) from 1984 to 1989. One of the most significant Labour Party politicians of the 20th century, she served in the Cabinet under Prime Minister Harold Wilson in a number of roles, including as Secretary of State for Employment, Secretary of State for Health and Social Services, and First Secretary of State.
About Barbara Castle
Barbara Anne Castle, Baroness Castle of Blackburn, PC, GCOT (née Betts, 6 October 1910 – 3 May 2002) was a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Blackburn from 1945 to 1979, making her the longest-serving female MP in the history of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, until her record was surpassed in 2007 by Gwyneth Dunwoody. She became the Member of the European Parliament for Greater Manchester North in 1979, and later Greater Manchester West (European Parliament constituency) from 1984 to 1989. One of the most significant Labour Party politicians of the 20th century, she served in the Cabinet under Prime Minister Harold Wilson in a number of roles, including as Secretary of State for Employment, Secretary of State for Health and Social Services, and First Secretary of State.
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