Socred 'an ally of National’

Press, 15 June 1978, Page 3

Socred ' an ally of National’

Parliamentary reporter The Social Credit Political League was nothing more than an unofficial ally of the National Party the president of he Labour Party (Mr A. J. Faulkner) told a Labour meeting in Tauranga last evening. Social Credit was a refuge for disgruntled National voters who did not want to vote Labour. There was no lack of evidence of National connections with the league: A former leader of the league Mr Wilfred Owen had been the National organiser in Lyttelton in 1967.

“In reality there are only two political parties in New Zealand: there is the Labour Party and those that oppose us,” said Mr Faulkner. “The National Party president confirmed this recently when he said minor parties are a positive aid to National Party success.” Mr Faulkner said that Nationals’ president (Mr G. Chapman) had said that Social Credit could help . National by splitting the Labour vote in marginal seats in the General Election. I “What in effect he said I was that a vote for Social ■ Credit is a vote for I National.”

However the latest public opinion polls showed that support for the league had reached a peak. People had seen that the league’s leader (Mr Beetham) was simply not performing in Parliament and that his statements about monetary reform were meaningless waffle. Support for the league would continue to fall while support for Labour was growing daily.