Mr Rowling alleges stand-over politics

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34128, 14 April 1976, Page 3

Mr Rowling alleges stand-over politics

GXeu? Zealaztd Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 13. The direction of New Zealand politics had taken a turn that must disturb every thinking person, the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) told the National Press Club in Wellington today.

Too many political decisions were foreign to the New Zealand way of life, and too often standover tactics were being i used Io back those de-i cisions. he told a lunch- ■ con meeting of the club. In a speech entitled, “The! first 100 days,” Mr Rowling! I said there was open contempt of Parliament as the proper forum for political I action, political abuse of the judicial system, classification of those who disagreed with National, as saboteurs, and “even the labelling of some outspoken journalists as subtle propagandists.’"’ “We have economic actions without regard for equity, a reversion to foreign policy of the Cold War era, the condoning of apartheid sport, and rebirth of gunboat diplomacy. Mr Rowling said Mr Norman Kirk once remarked that the present Prime Minister did not just want to be a Minister, he wanted to be Government. “Few realised at the time that within a few months that was to come so dangerously close to the truth.” Anyone who thought a one-man band could not play in discord' would also have good cause to change their views. “In only four months we have aligned ourselves with a weapons system over which we have no control and about which successive governments have expressed disquiet. We have made a complete mockery of our policy for a nuclear-free zone in the South Pacific by welcoming nuclear-powered warships to this country. Self-reliance “Under the leadership of Norman Kirk Labour replaced attitudes fossilised since the days of the Cold War with new initiatives for self-reliance and independence.

“These policies have been tragically reversed. New Zealand has taken a giant step backwards, and we are once again caught up in reactionary emotionalism,” Mr Rowling said.

New Zealand’s most powerful ally was the United States.

“For years there was an unquestioning allegiance almost to the point of subservience, and the end result was our involvement in

Vietnam. The Labour Government was not content with such a situation, and in March, 1973, we made our; position towards the United States quite clear.” “The Labour Party is not anti-America. A policy of independent thought and action does not mean we reject our allies, or that we abrogate our treaty commitments. But it does mean that we value our independence, and it means that we put our efforts into working to reduce world tensions so that the likelihood of needing the treaty’s security provisions are lessened. To put it simply, we believe our effort should be put into working for peace rather than just against war.” Mr Rowling said that meant a firm and consistent stand against nuclear testing and the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The A.N.Z.U.S. Pact had not commented when nuclear-powered warships were kept out in the past, and it would not crumble if the ban were maintained. ‘Burden on families’ “Malcolm Fraser (the Australian Prime Minister) doesn’t think so; Nelson Rockefeller (the Vice-Presi-dent of the United States) in his .own way admitted it. But. the Prime Minister keeps talking about a mandate. That’s utter nonsense . . . there’s not a line about the entry of nuclear ships in the National Party’s manifesto.”

Mr Rowling said it was senseless for a country with as little military influence as New Zealand to involve itself willingly in the nuclear manoeuvring of the Super Powers. The last four months had seen the biggest assault on living standards of the average New Zealand family man by any administration. The burden of increased costs for Government services had not fallen fairly, and it was going to get worse for low-income earners in coming months. Mr Rowling said he “really did not know” how people on the average wage of $lOO a week were managing.

Inflation in the first six months of the year would reach record levels, “under an Administration which claimed last November it was going to solve inflation.” He said National's super-

annuation scheme was regressive, and nothing could! be further from the truth! than to describe it as socialistic. “Basically, National's superannuation involves raising an extra s4oom in today’s terms from people under 60 and distributing it to those over 60 regardless of need. The bulk of the population between 60 and 65 are already reasonably! well off, and so they don’t! qualify for the means tested pension. “Why should the affluent be supported by younger people, many with children to feed and educate and mortgages to pay off? Anyone arguing that this Kobin Hood in reverse process is socialistic has a very perverse idea of what that notion means.”