Mr Kirk answers critics

Press, 24 September 1983, Page 8

Mr Kirk answers critics

John Kirk said early this morning that he was “quite serious” about his intention to stand as an Independent member of Parliament in the next General Election. Mr Kirk telephoned “The Press” from Mount Cook

early this morning and expressed his annoyance about last evening’s announcements by the Labour Party Council. “The terms announced are not the true story at all,” Mr Kirk said. “First and foremost to

suspend rather than to expel was a very gutless way to go about it,” he said. Mr Kirk alleged that those who had attended yesterday’s meeting were a “hand-picked group.”

He said they completely ignored the fact that one week ago he had written to say he would not be attending the council meeting because it was a “kangaroo court.”

He said he was being blamed for standing up for Mr Brian MacDonell and Mrs Mary Batchelor. “The Labour Party has said to me that since l am i now, suspended l ean vote as I wish in Parliament... and I will.

“It may become my responsibility to see that Mr Anderton never makes it to caucus as a member of Parliament. I am seriously considering standing as an Independent — it is highly likely that I will,” he said.

Mr Kirk said he would make his final decision on this in the next few days. It was wrong, he said, for the vice-president, Mr H. S. McCaffley, to say he did not know where to find Mr Kirk.

“I had a properly signed leave form for this week,” Mr Kirk said.

Mr Kirk has just spent one week ski-ing in the South Island but said he could not have been reached during the day yesterday as he was travelling to Mount Cook. He said he would release the text of his letter to the Labour Party Council next week. His leave expires on Tuesday. “I am not just annoyed but it is another example of the dishonesty, underhandedness and trickery of the Labour Party at the present time,” he said.

He also said that next week he would announce some misuses of the constitution of the Labour Party in the selection of South Ward candidates.

“The end of the party is in sight,” Mr Kirk said.