Laidlaw loyalty query in Parliament

Press, 22 October 1980, Page 1

Laidlaw loyalty query in Parliament

PA Wellington The. former All Black, Chris Laidlaw, was criticised by a. Government member in Parliament yesterday after the Opposition called for a reduction in a grant given to the New Zealand ' Rugby Union. ./ ...

Mr A. J. Faulkner (Lab., RoskiU) moved that $lO,OOO, which is paid as a direct grant to the union for coaching purposes, be cut to show, the Government’s ' support tor. the Gleneagles Agreement. The. Ministry of Sport and Recreation pays out a total $llO,OOO to rugby. Of this, $lOO,OOO is paid to clubs through local bodies. Mr Faulkner said he did not want to. see this last amount cut.

During the debate, Mr K. M. Comber (Nat., Wellington Central) attacked Mr Laidlaw for his stance on the proposed 1981 tour of New Zealand -by the Springboks. Mr Laidlaw helped the Commonweejth Secretary-General (Sir Shridath Ramphal). to draft the statement which criticised' the Government for.taking “a ritual bow” towards the Gleneagles Agreement. Mr Comber asked how Mr* Laidlaw could * reconcile his stand in the light of , his having played against the Springboks in 1965 and .1970. “I wonder where that man’s conscience is — and I speak of Mr Laidlaw — that he can attack his own country from 12,000 miles distance and say that there is only a ritual bow in the . direction of opposition to apartheid,” Mr Comber said.

Mr C. R. Marshall (Lab., Wanganui) added his support to Mr; Faulkner’s proposal, pointing out that it was a $lO,OOO cut and not the whole grant. He defended Mr Laidlaw’s opposition /to - the tour, saying he was not the only person to change his mind about South Af-. rica/ after- having been there.

According to ■Mr Marshall. the Government should issue conditional visas to the Springboks — conditional that they did not play rugby when they came here. Mr Faulkner said the move to reduce the Rugby Union’s grant would be an opportunity to get Parlia-

ment to stand together against something which was not in the best interests of the country. He could not think of a better way for Parliament to show that it gave more than lin service to the Gleneagles Agreement. The Labour amendment was defeated-39-29, after the Social Credit members, Messrs B. 'C. Beetham and G: T. Knapp, had voted against it with the Government.