Bargaining ahead for new M.P.

Press, 21 February 1978, Page 1

Bargaining ahead for new M.P.

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CEDRIC MENTIPLAY

The new member of Parliament for Rangitikei, Mr B. C. Beetham, has won his seat in Parliament — but much more negotiating must be done before he can be sure he will be allowed on any select committees, or whether he will be given any but marginal help in staffing and accommodation.

It might be thought that as a party leader he might receive more assistance than is given an ordinarv member, but this is not so. He has the additional disqualification of not having support from a party

organisation or from other members. In other words, his party caucus te himself.

The oddest position occurs over his presence on select committees. These form a highly valuable part of Parliamentary work, as they have taken over some of the functions of a second chamber in processing and revising legislation.

There is no automatic right by which Mr Beetham can choose his committees. He must negotiate separately with the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) and the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) — and there is no guarantee that he will obtain a seat on the committees he selects. This would mean, in

any case, the displacement of another member.

The previous Social Credit member, Mr V. F. Cracknell, was on the Statutes Revision Committee and the External Affairs (now the Foreign Affairs) committee. There is no guarantee that Mr Beetham will be on either. He will probably take over the room used by Mr Cracknell, but there is little likelihood that he will have more than a share in the services of a typist.

Mr Muldoon yesterday congratulated Mr Beetham on his win in Rangitikei, reports the Press Association.

"He has worked for a long time without very

much result,” he told a news conference. “I think Mr Beetham, in his natural elation, has been a bit excessive in his claims on what he is going to do when he gets into Parliament, but that is for the future,” he said. Mr Muldoon sees the Social Credit win as more of a defeat for Labour than for National. He said the National Party had identified more than 7000 National supporters in Rangitikei and it was clear a lot of them had not voted. Asked what he thought the reason was for this, Mr Muldoon said: “That is something we will have to try to find out. We have the ability to ask them.” Mr Muldoon said it

would be up to Mr Rowling to decide what Oppo-

sition places on Parliamentary select committees he would give to Mr Beetham. The member of Parliamen’ for Hastings (Mr W. R. Fenton) will suggest that the Government give Mr Beetham "reasonable access” to its caucus committees, except where Government policy is discussed. Mr Fenton said he did not want to see Mr Beetham’s voice lost in "the wilderness of anonymity” and he believed both main parties should extend courtesies to him as a representative of 150,000 voters.

Mr Fenton said Mr Beetham’s use of Parliament would be of less importance than Parliament’s use of him. “I hope the Government and Opposition will afford him some facilities enjoyed by members through their research units, caucus committee, and Whips’ offices. “I hope the good of the country will be the paramount consideration in the use of a man who has been impressive enough to wrest an electorate from each of the traditional contenders,” said Mr Fenton. “His supporters are entitled to judge his performance and he must have scope to make his contributions.” Mr Beetham is home in Hamilton for a few days rest before starting his new political career. He was in New Plymouth yesterday visiting his father, who is ill in the New Plymouth Hospital. Twice during his election campaign he went back to visit his father.

Mr Beetham has already been offered a suitable house to rent in Marton until after the General Election but will keep his Hamilton home.

“I don’t think anyone can expect me to sell up in Hamilton until I have the security of a three-year term,” he said. ‘‘l hope the whole family will move to the electorate with me but we have not had time to consider it yet.” Mr Beetham is not ner-

vous about losing his seat in November. He says boundary changes will be in his favour, with a new electorate inheriting a proportion of his vote and joining with the already strong Egmont vote. “The other parties also will not be able to put all their resources into one electorate as they did this time. We took on the Prime Minister, the Cabinet, and all the Labour members and beat the lot,” he said. Mr Beetham said he saw his victory as an important defeat for Labour. The byelection was to be a “big reversal” for Labour, but it lost further votes. “Labour is dying. It is the beginning of the Social Credit backswing nationwide. Social Credit is moving up,” he said. In November he expects to see a big swing to Social Credit, with more members joining him in the House. The most likely victories, he says, are in Hastings, Bay of Islands, and Kaipara. Mr Beetham said that as well as representing his electorate and being an independent voice, he believed he could help make noth Government and Opposition more aware of their responsibilities to the people they represent. He said he hoped to have a moderating effect on what had been “some unparliamentary behaviour” recently. “I should be able to challenge the false assumptions on which Government thinking is based and give them a few facts,” he said.