P.M. changes tack

Press, 17 November 1981, Page 6

P.M. changes tack

NZPA political reporter Wellington The Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) switched tack at the half-way point in the election campaign last evening, spraying criticism at the news media, some trade unionists, Labour, and Social Credit. '

His mainly-subdued approach and “think big” promotion of the last two weeks disappeared for more than two-thirds of his address to about 1750 people in the Wellington Town Hall.

It was a different Mr Muldoon from the moment he jogged the last few steps up to the stage with his briefcase festooned in streamers. He said the 1981 census figures on unemployment — released yesterday — showed that Mr Rowling had been “horribly wrong.”

Mr Rowling had said the census would show that more than 100,000 people were unemployed but the figure was 60,860. In ’ , ’ The Social Credit leader, Mr Beetham, “who has been totally at se.a in the House, particularly on finance,” would lose his Rangitikei seat, he said. Social Credit would win 20 per cent of the vote and no seats, the Prime Minister said. 1

A few hecklers shouted at Mr Muldoon throughout his speech, but mainly it was applause, streamers, balloons, and footstamping support. Some of that foot-stamping came when Mr Muldoon attacked leading members of trade unions.

The Gear Meat works, he said, was a casualty of union

militancy. “They were wrong, just as they were wrong at Southdown and Ngauranga,” he said. “Gear could only keep going with the co-operation of unions and the good will of the management and ownership. “They didn’t get it,” Mr Muldoon said. More foot-stamping—and some chants of “shame,” greeted his comment on sports contacts. When Mr Muldoon said he was standing up for New Zealand in the area of human rights a heckler yelled “you’ve slaughtered our name overseas.”

Mr Muldoon told-his cheering supporters that the atmosphere around New Zealand was right for National, and he had not seen a seat that the party would lose.