Socred to vote today on changing name

Press, 28 August 1982, Page 1

Socred to vote today on changing name

By

KARREN BEANLAND

in Hamilton After three hours of debate yesterday afternoon at the Social Credit Political League conference in Hamilton, .'no decision had been made on the proposal to change the party’s name, j The debate, in which more than 30 delegates spoke, will be continued at 8 a.m. today. Special time had to be set aside to continue the discussion.

Later this morning the delegates will vote on several remits • proposing changes to Social. Credit’s name. The names proposed are the New Zealand Social Democratic Party, the New Zealand Democratic Party, the, New Zealand Party, and the Social Credit Party. Yesterday’s debate was based on two discussion Krs, one by the league’s Jr, Mr Beetham, and the other by the league’s president, Mr Stefan Lipa. Both had been circulated and publicised several weeks before the conference.

A wide variety of opinions on the issue emerged during the debate, and delegates had little lead from the leading figures in the party. Many were still undecided about how they would vote even after yesterday’s discussion. Mr Beetham, Mr Lipa, and the party’s deputy leader, Mr Gary Knapp, expressed widely differing views on the name change proposals. Mr Beetham, who successfully spoke against a motion that the discussion be held in committee, said he had not expressed a personal opinion, except on a minor point. "The change I .would like

to see is the "dropping of the words ‘Political League.’ The original reasons for those words are completely and utterly lost to the public and the original reason for having them is gone because they are thoroughly projected in our constitutional arrangements,” he said. Dropping the word “League” would distance the party from an “embarrassing connection” to another organisation, he said in an apparent reference to the League of Rights. He was firmly convinced that a name change would not mean a departure from the fundamental tenets and principles of Social Credit. Delegates had to consider, however, how a change in name would affect the relationship between the present level of support for the party and the “anti-Muldoon” feeling in the country. They also had to decide whether the name “Social Credit” was a barrier to voters. Tens of thousands of voters had intended to vote Social Credit at the last election, but could not bring themselves to do it at the last minute, he said. The name-change, proposal had far-reaching ramifications and was probably the most important issue facing Social Credit since 1954. Mr Knapp told the conference that his proposal did not mean that he wanted to . have a new party. “I don’t want a new party, but I want a new name," he said. ■ If Social Credit wanted to reach the Treasury. benches it had to do something spectacular to capture the nublic

imagination. The time for the change was now. He was proud of Social Credit and would go on fighting for the party if it did not change its name; but without a new name the fight would be tougher, Mr Knapp said.

The name “Social Credit" had a narrow base and gave people a narrow impression of the party. It focused on only one aspect of policy and did not reveal the wide range of the party’s policies. The party needed a name that conveyed its s.tand, not a name that focused on the mechanics of how it would achieve its policies. It needed a name, such as the New Zealand Democratic Party, that had a broad base, that was modern, and that evoked a principle of major concern in society.

In veiled reference to hig hopes of becoming Social Credit’s leader, Mr Knapp emphasised that the name change had to be done now.

• “After Bruce Beetham, who is the leader who will lead Social Credit on the Treasury benches? That is a penetrating question. The change has to be made in his. time,” Mr Knapp said.

A senior party figure and former party president, Mr George Bryant, of Whangarei, asked delegates if they were in the business of getting Social Credit’s ideas implemented or in protecting the party’s name. “Twenty-eight years with the name Social Credit and 21 per cent of the vote is not a very, good achievement. It is minimal,” he said.

Mr Terry Heffernan, a former Christchurch Central

candidate said that the name was important because it was “up front" and was part of the party’s image. Social Credit was a party of reform and delegates had to face the question of whether they were afraid of change.

A Taupo candidate, Mr Jim Elder,, supported the name-change proposal because he said Social Credit was about political reform as well as monetary reform. The present name did not describe all that the party stood for. “But I wonder if this is the right time to do it because, like it or not, a lot of faith has been lost lately because of the Clyde dam decision,” he said.

Mr Bruce Sheppard, the Auckland Central candidate, said the present name epitomised the league's policy “perfectly.” “We are monetary reformers and do we want to disguise that? By being monetary reformers we are democrats,” he said. The word “league” was also important because it showed that Social Credit was a collection of individuals. Others argued that the name. “Social Credit” had become publicly acceptable and was not longer tainted with a "funny money” image and that voters were attracted to Social Credit because it was different from the other two main parties. Challenge to Mr Knapp, Page 3