Protest against power prices

Press, 25 September 1980, Page 4

Protest against power prices

“You are all a pack of bludgers who don't know how to budget,” said a surrogate “Mr Birch” to about 70 power-price protesters outside the Town Hall yesterday.

"Mr Birch" was actually Bob Consedine, acting as the Minister of Energy as part of a protest against rising electricity prices and the proposed second aluminium smelter.

The lunch-time protest was organised by combined Christchurch consumer groups, including Campaign Power Poll and the NorthEast Christchurch Energy Group. The real Mr Birch arrived at the Town Hall about an hour and a half after the protest to address the annual meeting of the Electrical Supply Authorities’ Association.

But his impersonator kept the protest crowd, and some conference delegates, amused. He arrived in a ministerial-style car and trod on a hastily manoeuvred red carpet to the speaker’s box. Round his neck was a placard proclaiming him the Minister of various, some doubtful, portfolios, earning $5OO a week. Several other speakers addressed the crowd on the objects of the energy groups in Christchurch. They said that 25 per cent of each householder’s power bill would go towards establishing the proposed second smelter.