Women’s party opposed

Press, 20 April 1982, Page 7

Women’s party opposed

PA Wellington A new women’s political party would almost certainly ensure that fewer women were elected in the 1984 General Election if it fields candidates, the Labour Party member of Parliament for Kapiti, Mrs Margaret Shields, has said. Mrs Shields told a meeting at Waikato University that it was little wonder some women had decided recently to form their own party after realising it was now marginally easier for women to be elected.

“It is certainly more comfortable if your central concerns are feminist to form your own party. It may even be narginally effective in drawing attention to women’s concerns. But I believe it will be absolutely counter-productive in terms of getting more women elected to Parliament,” says Mrs Shields. She said the situation would be much the same as that which occurred when the Values Party fielded a full slate of candidates. “On the one hand they were extremely effective in drawing attention to some neglected areas of policy, especially environmental issues. On the other hand, in some critical marginal electorates, Values actually prevented some good, environ-

mentally conscious candidates from being elected,” said Mrs Shields.