Recounts

Press, 26 November 1981, Page 12

Recounts

Wonderful AT HIS Christchurch election meeting, Mr Beetham had a pithy tale. In the United Stales they had Ronald Reagan, Johnny Cash, Bob Hope, and Stevie Wonder, he said. In New Zealand we have Rob Muldoon — no cash, no hope, and no wonder. Keep left A TRAFFIC officer, perhaps with a wry sense of humour, took a hand in the election campaign in Dunedin. As a senior local Labour Party official was dashing to the airport to meet the party Leader (Mr Rowling) he was stopped by an unmarked patrol car. Ironically, the ticket was for “failing to keep left.” The official need not have bothered. Mr Rowling's plane was delayed about 30 minutes. . . . Wrong colour HAVING recovered from the shock of being mistaken for Mr Freer, Mr Cooper started to speak without the use of a microphone. After several cat-calls from the back of the room he moved to the lectern, took one look at the big red microphone provided, and said: “You can see why I am reluctant to use this. The colour would put anyone off.” Unstuck MR BEETHAM's speech to his Christchurch meeting was briefly interrupted as a long line of Social Credit’s yellow and green posters, bearing the familiar Beetham face, gradually unstuck and fell on to the floor. Not to be deterred. Mr Beetham leaned over his podium and said to his paper image: “Bruce, you're not doing so well are you? You'll have to improve 'on that performance.”

Double dose ONE of our reporters, who says he is a “floating voter,” got a double dose of Social Credit philosophy last week. He had the morning off, but was visited by Mr Richard Bach, candidate for Sydenham. and so he invited him in and spent half an hour listening. Then in the evening he was assigned to the job of reporting another Social Credit candiuate at a streetcorner meeting. It rained, and so our wet reporter and the wet Social Credit candidate got into the reporter’s car and the reporter got his story.