Editing Alec Douglas-Home (section)

=== Minister for Scotland ===
Home was appointed to the new post of Minister of State at the Scottish Office, a middle-ranking position, senior to Under-secretary but junior to [[James Stuart, 1st Viscount Stuart of Findhorn|James Stuart]], the Secretary of State, who was a member of the cabinet. Stuart, previously an influential [[chief whip]], was a confidant of Churchill, and possibly the most powerful Scottish Secretary in any government.<ref>Dutton, p. 18, and Thorpe (1997), p. 141</ref> Thorpe writes that Home owed his appointment to Stuart's advocacy rather than to any great enthusiasm on the Prime Minister's part (Churchill referred to him as "Home sweet Home").<ref name="t141">Thorpe (1997), p. 141</ref> In addition to his ministerial position Home was appointed to membership of the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]] (PC),<ref name=t141/> an honour granted only selectively to ministers below cabinet rank.<ref>[http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchUK/QueenandGovernment/QueenandPrivyCouncil.aspx "Queen and Privy Council"], Official Website of the British Monarchy, accessed 18 April 2012</ref>

[[File:Royal Cypher of Queen Elizabeth II.svg|thumb|left|alt=Royal cypher consisting of a Crown above the initials E and R with the figure 2 (in Roman numerals) between them|100px|The royal cypher – a problem for Home and the Scottish Office]]
Throughout Churchill's second term as prime minister (1951–1955) Home remained at the Scottish Office, although both Eden at the Foreign Office and [[Robert Gascoyne-Cecil, 5th Marquess of Salisbury|Lord Salisbury]] at the [[Commonwealth Relations Office]] invited him to join their ministerial teams.<ref>Dutton, p. 19</ref> Among the Scottish matters with which he dealt were hydro-electric projects, hill farming, sea transport, road transport, forestry, and the welfare of [[crofter]]s in the [[Scottish Highlands|Highlands]] and the [[Western Isles]].<ref name=p461/><ref>Thorpe (1997), p. 148</ref> These matters went largely unreported in the British press, but the question of the [[royal cypher]] on Post Office pillar boxes became front-page news. Because [[Elizabeth I]] of England was never queen of Scotland, some nationalists maintained when [[Elizabeth&nbsp;II]] came to the British throne in 1952 that in Scotland she should be styled "Elizabeth I". Churchill said in the House of Commons that considering the "greatness and splendour of Scotland", and the contribution of the Scots to British and world history, "they ought to keep their silliest people in order".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2 April 1953 |title=House of Commons |work=The Times |page=3}}</ref> Home nevertheless arranged that in Scotland new pillar boxes were decorated with the royal crown instead of the full cypher.<ref>Thorpe (1997), p. 151</ref>