P.M. to meet the people as ‘honest Bill’

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33966, 6 October 1975, Page 2

P.M. to meet the people as ‘honest Bill’

(Bp

BRUCE KOHN.

N.Z.P.A. staff correspondent)

WELLINGTON, October 5. The Government’s decision unofficially to extend its election campaigning to six weeks has been taken in recognition of the belief that the Prime Minister (Mr Rowling) “comes across" best in “meet the people” tours.

Laoour strategists uelieve that Mr Rowling should not seek to match the National Party leader (Mr Muldoon) at public meeting forums, where Mr Muldoon shines. They feel he should concentrate as much as possible on simply meeting large numbers of people at informal gatherings. This way, they believe, his quiet, pleasant personality will best win votes. The Labour Party has a strong feeling that Mr Rowling’s biggest election need is to convince the country that he is the “straight-shooting, honest Bill with strong convictions” that it perceives him to be. The feeling exists within the Labour Party hierarchy that it should do its best to ensure that the contrasting personalities of the two leaders are hammered home to the electorate. ‘Man next door’ Its strategists believe that between now and November 29, election day, Mr Muidoon will prove himself too abrasive for the country to accept as a Prime Minister. They are not content, however, simply to take the risk that he will do so, and against the eventuality that Mr Muldoon wins supporters with a slightly-toned-down campaigning effort, want Mr Rowling to do his best to meet as many people as possible to get across a “man next door” image. Mr Muldoon, however, said

from Auckland yesterday that the Labour Party’s decision was “a panic move,” and that it regarded electioneering as being more important than governing the country. “We have at least two weeks more work in front of us to handle bills we thought they were going to pass,” said Mr Muldoon... “It is obvious that the Labour Party has studied the latest polls, realised the swing against it, and taken the view that Parliament and Government take second place to electioneering,” he said. Mr G. Chapman, president of the National Party, today called Labour’s decision “irresponsible government.” Mr Rowling, he said, would not be alone on the hustings for six weeks. All his Cabinet colleagues would be out with him, leaving the country with only a token form of government for an unprecedented and unwarranted period.

“The situation is intolerable at a time when the economy is under such grave and constant threat,” Mr Chapman said. Large sums It is apparent that large sums of public money will be spent in the extensive unofficial public campaigning that Mr Rowling intends. But, according to Parliamentary sources, the National Party in office used facilities available to the Government for its campaigns. These include official cars, airline tickets paid for from public funds, and other perquisites available to the Government of the day.

When campaigning in their own electorates, however, Ministers and members of Parliament are, it is believed, permitted to charge only half their travel expenses within the area.