‘Blurring of roles’ by Labour heads

Press, 3 October 1983, Page 8

‘Blurring of roles’ by Labour heads

PA Wellington The Labour Party leader, Mr Lange, acknowledged last evening that there had been a blurring of roles between the party’s president, Mr Jim Anderton, and himself, but emphasised that each would now stick to his own province. Mr Lange, speaking on TVl’s “Newsmakers,” said he accepted that he had ventured into areas he was not responsible for and he had reproved himself for that.

“The party organisation is not my province, but sometimes you fall off the edge of your responsibility,” he said. “There has been a blurring of roles and I have some responsibility for that. Mr Anderton will not be ventur-

ing into areas he is not responsible for and will make statements relating to his role, not to mine.

“He and I have the same goals. The difference is in the emphasis,” Mr Lange said.

He was answering questions on the controversy surrounding the dumping of a Dunedin Labour member of Parliament, Mr Brian MacDonell, in the selection process for Dunedin West, and the stalemate in the Avon electorate involving the sitting member, Mrs Mary Batchelor. Mr Lange said he had told Mr MacDonell after the party’s national executive meeting a week ago that if he had a case about selection irregularities and it was accepted by the execu-

tive, there would be a reselection. Mr MacDonell had chosen not to press the issue . . . “He walked off. He extinguished his association with the party.” Mr Lange also said he would tell the Avon electorate that Mrs Batchelor had not earned the disfavour of the Labour caucus and had not been “given the heave” by him. Asked by the interviewer, lan Fraser, why he had said last week that he was positive Mrs Batchelor would be reselected, Mr Lange replied that she was the sitting member, had the confidence of the caucus, and had not abandoned the Labour province. “She hasn’t got a bad thing going for her,” he said.