‘Last-chance’ meeting may herald snap election

Press, 3 August 1981, Page 1

‘Last-chance’ meeting may herald snap election

By

PHILIP WORTHINGTON

Representatives of all sides of the conflict over the Springbok tour will meet at Parliament this morning under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) for what he described yesterday as “a last-chance meeting.”

Without some resolution from this meeting, Mr Muldoon will seriously consider holding a snap election, and he made it clear over the week-end that he is not afraid of that possibility. “Our policy remains firm. If necessary — and I hope it won’t be necessary — I will go to the country on that issue, and win,” he told cheering delegates at the National Party’s annual conference at Wellington yesterday.

At his first press conference since returning from London, Mr Muldoon told reporters on Saturday morning that a snap election was “clearly a possibility” in view of the disruption occurring as a result of the tour. “When you get a major issue of law and order, with various forces challenging the authority of the police, an election on the issue must be a possibility,” he said. Mr Muldoon said he considered it unwise to disclose exactly what would decide him to go to the country, saying that at the moment it was simply an option before the Government, but he acknowledged that work had already been done (mainly by the Minister of Justice, Mr McLay) to establish the mechanics of a snap election and how long it would take to put the issue before the public. He made it clear that he considered the issue was no longer one of apartheid but one of law and order. “If we reach the point where there is massive civil disobedience of the kind that we have been seeing recently, then there can be only one way of testing public opinion. “There are all kinds of claims that the majority of people just don’t want the tour, and .1 think that, narrowly, that’s correct. “But I don’t . think the majority, of people would want to see football matches disrupted and abandoned by means of the methods that

have been used, particularly in Hamilton,” he said.

“If we had a continuation of that, with the police being stretched to the limit, then I think we are at the point where we have to have an election on it to test public opinion,” said Mr Muldoon. He said that it appeared that this morning’s meeting might reach some common ground, even if only because the factions had agreed to get together to talk. It would “not be helpful” to assess at this stage the possibility of a shortened tour in return for more controlled and less disruptive protest, said the Prime Minister. However, it was “perhaps significant’.’ that the chairman of the Rugby Union (Mr C. A.' Blazey) was prepared to attend the meeting with some of the union’s council members. <

The promise of the protesters — honoured at Saturday’s Palmerston North match — that there would be no attempt to invade the ground, might be seen “as a change of heart, if I can use that term,” he said.

Nevertheless, the protests had fallen more and more into the hands of what he termed the “hard core, the old professionals.” “It’s become politicised. If you read the material they’re putting out, it’s becoming more and more anti-Govern-ment as against anti-apart-heid. This is the extreme political Left in a familiar attitude,” he said.

Delegates to the party conference enthusiastically backed his snap election comments, giving him a standing, cheering ovation when he raised the issue, and also when he made such statements as: “Let me make this clear. At no time am I going to compromise on the principles of law and order, or on the policies of the National Party.” Notwithstanding this enthusiasm, however, few of the delegates or party

officers want an election before the traditional time. At present, November 28 appears to be the most likely date.

The party president (Mr G. A. Chapman) makes it clear that the decision is one for Mr Muldoon alone, after consultation with the Dominion Council and party caucus. National, he says, is ready to fight the election earlier than necessary if need be, but late spring had always been a favourable time for National to go to the polls.

Mr Muldoon holds the answer, and his own traditionalism, his dislike of being rushed into anything, must be taken into account. If this was the only factor to be taken into account the chance of a snap election could be discounted as a piece of political manoeuvring, using the party conference as a showcase. But Mr Muldoon is himself unpredictable — it is a technique he uses to keep political opponents on the back foot — and it is doubtful that such a ploy would carry much weight at this morn-

ing’s meeting. If anything, some might be encouraged, by the prospect to continue their oppostion. Because Mr Muldoon is a successful politician with a record of being able frequently to outplay his opponents, it is tempting to look for hidden meanings and intentions in what he says. Greater accuracy is achieved by taking him at face value, to read him in the words he applied yesterday to the Queensland Premier (Mr Joh Bielke-Pet-ersen): “He says what he means: and if he means something, he will say it.”

Mr Muldoon has said that today's meeting is “the last chance.” He has said that further disruption such as that at Hamilton, or in Wellington last week, would mean a snap election on the issue of law and order. He means it.