Mr MacDonell’s case fails

Press, 24 September 1983, Page 1

Mr MacDonell’s case fails

PA Wellington The Labour Party’s New Zealand Council yesterday confirmed that Dr Clive Matthewson would be its 1984 candidate for Dunedin West. The decision was seen as a significant embarrassment for the party leader, Mr Lange.

Confirmation of Dr Matthewson’s -nomination was made in spite of allegations by the sitting member, Mr Brian MacDonell, of irregularities in the selection.

Mr MacDonell’s case was rejected yesterday, but earlier Mr Lange had said he expected that the matter would take weeks to resolve.

“I would be very surprised indeed if all the issues were dealt with today. It could be as long as a month," said Mr Lange.

When asked if a decision might have to wait until the next council meeting, Mr Lange said, “I think that’s a fair bet.”

Mr Lange said he would Et a case for Mr Mac“on the technical issues.”

Mr Anderton told a press conference three hours later that the council had “turned aside” Mr MacDonell’s complaints. He identified as Mr MacDonell’s crucial allegation that a member of the selection panel had not been a Labour Party member for one year when nominations opened. Mr Anderton said the evi-

dence for and against the allegations had been weighed, and the allegations refuted.

An obviously upset Mrs MacDonell told callers to her Dunedin home last evening that her husband could not come to the telephone. “I’m sorry,” she said, “this is the wrong time. He just can’t talk now.”

She confirmed that Mr MacDonell had been informed of the council’s decision.

Mr MacDonell said later he did not wish to make any comment at this stage about his future plans. “I want to say how grateful I am to the people of Dunedin for their support,” Mr MacDonell said. “I’ll never forget it, and nor will my wife and family.”

Mr Anderton indicated he thought the matter was finished.

“If at any future date someone has any evidence they can bring it forward. I guess that could go on ad nauseum but it is very unlikely, in my view, that it would,” he said.

Mr Lange left the council meeting before it resolved the Avon and Dunedin West selection issues. He later seemed to disagree that the Dunedin West decision was the end of the matter.

“I (had) said I would expect no resolution (today) of the matters raised by Brian MacDonell,” he said. “I argued for there to be no upset decision in the matter. “It is not a matter to be resolved in an instant. It requires careful, objective analysis,” said Mr Lange.

He said the council had decided not to take action on the material presented to it.

“It will now be a matter for consideration by Mr MacDonell. It is a matter for consideration, careful and objective, based on material he will present to the Labour Party. “He will present it to the general secretary, who will then cause whatever appropriate forum to consider it,” he said.

Mr Lange said he did not think the council would be the forum — “it meets about every three months.”