"It was very much a cry for democratic control at that time. Above all, breaking the accomplished power of a few people to rule the lives of everybody else"

In this quote, Barbara Castle is describing a time when there was a strong desire for democratic control. This indicates that individuals wanted to have a say in how their nation was run and to have a federal government that represented their interests. Castle emphasizes that this desire was particularly strong because there were a couple of people who held a substantial quantity of power and were able to dictate the lives of the rest of the population. This quote highlights the significance of democracy and the need to break the hold of a select couple of in order to develop a fair and simply society for all.