Young Nats reject advice on speaker

Press, 14 August 1982, Page 6

Young Nats reject advice on speaker

PA Auckland The Auckland National Party chairman. Mr Pat Baker, does not want the ■Labour Party president. Mr J. P. Anderton, to address Auckland Young Nationals this month. “My. advice was very firmly that the- invitation should not go ahead. He is an inappropriate person to in’vite," Mr .Baker said yesterday. Mr Baker telephoned Young National officials

after a newspaper report last week revealed that Mr Anderton had been invited to speak to Young Nationals on the economy on August 25. But the Young Nationals have rejected Mr Baker’s advice. Their Auckland chairman, Mr Scott Simpson, said yesterday: “We have never .had a Labour Party person speak to us before which is a sad thing, because it perpetuates this thing of narrow-minded politicking of not listening to other points of view. “If there is one thing that

turns young New Zealanders off politics it’s politicians not being, willing to listen to another point of view,” Mr Simpson said. ■ - He. did not think that there would be any instant conversions at the meeting, but “we will give him the courtesy of a fair hearing.” Mr Baker said that the decision was in the Young Nationals’ hands, but he did not think that Mr Anderton deserved to be invited. “The man spends most of the time running us down,” Mr Baker said.