Party in good shape — P.M.

Press, 24 October 1980, Page 1

Party in good shape — P.M.

His leadersip intact, the Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon, emerged from a Government caucus meeting yesterday saying that he thought the National Party’s Parliamentary wing was in good shape.

Giving the clear impression that the leadership issue which has torn the party for the last week occupied Government members of Parliament only briefly af the meeting, Mr Muldoon said that the caucus “overwhelmingly and one by one” did not want to change the leader. The Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Talboys), the man the so-called “colonels” had singled out as. Mr Muldoon’s successor, was not interested in stepping into the post. Mr Talboys’s message to the caucus had been that he believed there was overwhelming. support for the present leadership of the party and that he was not a candidate for the leadership. Mr Talboys had asked “all our members” to get behind the leader.

“That brief statement — there wasn’t much more than that, a little bit more — was greeted with applause and that was the only discussion in caucus on the matter of the leadership,” said Mr Muldoon. The only change in the party’s line-up after the caucus meeting was that Mr D. C. McKinnon (Albany) became the Junior Whip, replacing Mr D. M.

Jones, (Helensville) who resigned. . Mr Muldoon said that the Senior Whip, Mr A. P. D. Friedlander (New Plymouth), who was publicly associated with the forces who wanted a leadership change, would retain the post.

“I. simply informed caucus that Mr Friedlander wished to stay on as Whip and that I thought that was a good idea,” Mr Muldoon said.

Mr Talboys, who cut short his visit to Europe to return for the lead-

ership crisis, said last evening that he had spent yesterday discussing the issue with his caucus colleagues to find out what was going on.

“I came very quickly to the conclus'ion that the position of the leader of the party was not in question,” he said.

In these circumstances he had simply made it clear that he was not in contention.

Mr Muldoon said at his news conference after the caucus meeting that the

leadership issue had not even been on the agenda. In reply to a question, he said that the lesson to be learned by himself and the party from the events of the last week had been, “Don’t let an accumulation of the little things overshadow the important matters.”

That had come through “very, very clearly” from people throughout New Zealand. The one single message to the “party, the caucus, and myself” was that National electorate committees did not want a change of leader. He said “absolutely” when asked if this was the message from electorates such as East Coast Bays. Asked whether he believed the Government would find it difficult from now on to present a unified image to the public, Mr Muldoon replied, “With your help, no.” ’

It was clear that the caucus did not want a leadership change but if he looked round he was sure that he could' find .somebody who did.'' However the anti-Muldoon faction in the caucus was now “quite small” and he believed that his leadership would not be challenged again for a long time. '>

He was confident that the matter was now behind the caucus and was “naturally pleased” that the caucus had got past the leadership is-uc “The fact that nobody wished to add anything to what Mr Talboys said, to me indicates that the boys are in good shape,” Mr Muldoon said. He had no special feelings toward the groups who had supported a leadership change. His feelings were in a different direction.

“I have got a lot of paper on my desk and a lot of things to do, and I am going to spend Labour week-end catching up on a lot of things that have happened while 1 have beenawav,” he said.

.. He had not traded jobs in return for support from the waverers in the cauc< during the leadership crisis. “Those of you who said I made promises are wrong.” In reply to a question, Mr Muldoon said that he did not envisage making any Cabinet changes at least’ before Christmas. “You don’t make Cabinet changes while the House is sitting.”

In Parliament later, Mr M. K. Moore (Lab., Papanui) said in a notice of motion that the Government’s decision not to change the leadership would be to the Labour Party’s advantage in the next General Election.

NZPA political correspondent