Rebuff report ‘mischievous nonsense’

Press, 3 May 1983, Page 2

Rebuff report ‘mischievous nonsense’

PA Wellington Reports of a Wellington Labour Party conference rebuff for the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Lange, were mischievous nonsense, said a conference spokesman yesterday. The chairman for the party’s Wellington region, Mr Geoff Woolford, said that reporting of the nuclear vessel issue had been hysterical. “Frenzied journalists, desperate to find real or imagined splits in the Labour ranks, have read into the conference an attitude that simply was not there.” The conference voted to endorse existing party policy of opposing the entry of nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed vessels to New Zealand ports. Mr Lange said recently that he favoured a policy of allowing visits from nuclear-powered vessels, but he opposed to ships carrying nuclear arms coming to New Zealand.

Mr Woolford said that Mr Lange did not appeal to the

conference to take a specific position on nuclear matters.

“Rather, he reaffirmed the party’s strong and continuing opposition to nuclear weapons and testing. Mr Lange also put forward practical proposals to implement a South Pacific nuclear-free zone.” The conference chairman said: “It is perfectly true that the conference the next day discussed visits by nuclear ships and decided, by a majority, to affirm the party’s policy of opposing the entry of nuclearpowered and nuclear-armed vessels, but it is mischievous nonsense to interpret this as any sort of slap at the leadership. “The matter was not discussed in the context of Mr Lange’s view on the issue. Little if any reference was made to his position. The regional conference simply independently endorsed existing policy.” The nuclear remit was one of 150 remits at the conference, Mr Woolford said.