Chch man denies link with new party

Press, 19 July 1983, Page 2

Chch man denies link with new party

One of two Christchurch men who were named by “Radio New Zealand” yesterday as being on the steering committee of the new political party being set up by Mr Bob Jones, has denied that he is a member of the party. Mr Roger Monk, a Christchurch orthodontist, said that he was not a member of the party. He declined to make any other comments in connection with the report. The other Christchurch man who was named was Mr James Macfarlane, a lawyer. Mr Macfarlane, who has been an advocate for the system of turnover tax, is overseas on holiday and is not expected to return to work until early August. Mr Jones said from Wellington yesterday that the Radio New Zealand report was not correct. It was

based on a document which was four months out of date, he said.

The new party had a new and expanded steering committee with 15 members. Details about the party would not be made public until August 22. He would not comment on whether Messrs Macfarlane and Monk were involved with the party, saying that he was angry that the news media was spending so much time trying to get the names of people involved, and that it was over to them to make any public comments.

Later, Mr Jones said he was prepared to wager the Prime Minister, Mr Muldoon, $50,000 that he would stand for the Ohariu electorate at next year’s election, according to a Press Association report. Mr Muldoon, at a post-

Cabinet press conference yesterday, again labelled Mr Jones’s planned party a joke. He said that Mr Jones would take dissident votes that would otherwise go to Social Credit, “If he stands.” But Mr Jones told the Press Association yesterday that he had staff employed for the “movement” and to work on his party’s manifesto, which would have an initial print run of 50,000 copies. He said that he would deposit $50,000 in an account — “interest-bearing of course” — if Mr Muldoon was prepared to put $lOO in the same account. “If my name is not on the list for Ohariu he can have

Mr Jones said he was obliged to go through the process of being formally selected by his party first.