National Party leadership

Press, 23 October 1980, Page 16

National Party leadership

Sir, — Can a change of leadership in the National Party, or a change of Government, have much real effect on the moral bankruptcy of New Zealand? ’. If repeated results in Britain and the United States are anything to go by, the answer is a resounding, No. When individual responsibility is laid aside and sexual debauchery and drunken orgies become more important' than anything else — except, perhaps, the “almighty” dollar — when our children are no longer taught the essence of good citizenship then the way is set for a creeping decay that no political leader or party can halt, until the nation as a whole has tasted fully the bitterness of the pill it has chosen. — Yours, etc., DAVID COYLE. October 20, 1980.

Sir, — The present leadership controversy in the National Party raises some interesting questions. There is much talk of Muldoon and his “style of leadership,” and many people blame him for the country’s ills and National’s failure.. But is it him or the policies of the Government that are at fault? If Mr Muldoon is thrown out will there be any change in the state of this country? Will changing the leadership make any difference if the whole system that supports our present bureaucracy is not changed too? We are now experiencing the results of government elites of all parties deciding that they can run our lives better than we can and proceeding to force us to give up our freedom and security, so would not the cure be to severely cut back on government and its restrictions rather than substituting one pawn for another? . Less government means lower taxes and more freedom! — Yours, etc., M. J. STANLEY. October 22, 1980.

Sir, — Mr Muldoon must surely win the prize for the best jest of the week. His statement that 'he was too modest to give all the reasons (“The Press,” October 21) had me smiling every time I thought of it. Such modest claims that the party would suffer if the leadership was changed, and that he would lead the National Party next year and win the election had me wondering on the meaning of the word “modest.” Perhaps Roget’s should now make “arrogance” a synonym of modest in the next edition of the Thesaurus. — Yours, etc.,

' G. A. TAYLOR. October 21, 1980.

Sir, — Down on the farm I’ve been sad that so many able and proven councillors lost their seats at the local body and City Council elections. I told my hack that now I read of discontent around the Beehive. “Horse sense,” he said “precludes changing reinsman during the race to the 1981 General Election. But then,” he said with a horse laugh, “horse sense is that ability which prevents us betting on the human race.” — Yours, etc., GORDON P. DENNIS. Hororata. October 18, 1980.