Labour prepared for snap election

Press, 3 August 1981, Page 6

Labour prepared for snap election

PA Wellington Labour's electoral chances would not be adversely affected by a snap election, said the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Rowling) from Nelson yesterday. He said he had predicted for some time that the Government would call a snap election as a "political ploy" so that people would be voting with emotive law-arid-order issues on their minds rather than the present economic situation.

He believed most people would see the transparency of it. Labour had been expecting something like this would happen and had put an effective strategy to work.

"People of New Zealand are eminently sensible," he said.

Today’s meeting, was a further step towards finding solutions, to problems surrounding the tour. Mr Rowling said.

It was an extension of talks which he held on Saturday between rugby officials and anti-tour protest leaders, and also with the secretary

of the Police Association, Dr R. A. Moodie.

Mr Rowling said an increasing number : of people were being brought together under one umbrella and some common ground had been reached already. They were seeking a completely bipartisan approach. He had not yet been asked to participate in today’s meeting but would be glad to do so.

The president of the Social Credit Political League (Mr Stefan,Lipa) said last evening in Auckland that the Government was “orchestrating" the Springbok tour issue for political purposes. By saying he would consider holding a snap election, the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) was using the tour to try to bring public sympathy over to National, said Mr Li P a - ..

He said Mr Muldoon was attempting to use the tour as an excuse to create a law-and-order crisis and of using the situation to take attention away from the real issues facing New Zealand.

It was obvious from the way the National Party tried to give the impression its conference session on Friday evening was cancelled for socalled fears of safety, that National hoped the public would forget about the mismanagement Of the country. , The decision to call off the session was made more than 24 hours beforehand, Mr Lipa claimed. The National Party was “manipulating and deceiving the public."

“When the leader of a country and the president of the ruling political party used these methods in an attempt to stay in power, it shows just how desperate they are." Mr Lipa said Social Credit was ready to face a snap election tomorrow. The possibility of such a move had been included in the league campaign planning. Social Credit’s $1 million fund-raising campaign had exceeded $900,000 — an indication of the morale and strength of the league.