Young M.P.s ‘arrogant’

Press, 7 May 1984, Page 1

Young M.P.s ‘arrogant’

PA Invercargill Most of today’s younger politicians are “self-centred, egotistical, arrogant know-it-alls,” according to the member of Parliament for

Invercargill, Mr Norman Jones.

He blamed his generation for “indulging an entire generation of youth throughout four decades of a permissive society.” Mr Jones told the Southland scouting area’s annual conference he doubted whether any of today’s younger breed of “smooth, slick politicians” were ever members of youth organisations such as the scouts or Boys’ Brigade movements and the only excuse his generation could offer was that it was to blame. “From time to time, I look around both sides of Parliament and watch today’s new breed of younger, eager-beaver politicians in full cry. 1 “These eager beavers want to put everyone over

60 out to pasture. They believe that older people aren’t up with the times, they believe that people’s views change as they get older, that they know it all ..Mr Jones said.

But what scared him was that what he was seeing in the younger politicians was exactly what people in 30 years would still be seeing in those same politicians when they, too, got to his age, he said. “So today’s young men in a hurry are tomorrow’s old men, still in a hurry. “We have indulged an entire generation of youth throughout four decades of a permissive society and the fault is ours that most of today’s younger politicians are self-centred, egotistical, arrogant know-it-alls.”

Mr Jones said that if it had not been for his four years as a member of the Boys’ Brigade as a youth, he would certainly have developed into a juvenile delinquent.

“So I’m here today to express my appreciation of your scouting movement and what you are doing to provide the right sort of companionship for young lads," he said.

“You don’t develop into juvenile delinquents inside the Boy Scouts Association, or the Girl Guides, or the Boys and Girls Brigades, or indeed any other similar youth organisation.” While not expecting young people to conform completely to the standards of his generation, Mr Jones said there were some standards of common courtesy, self-discipline and acceptable morality which needed to be kept constant. “I am quite convinced that the main attraction street gangs have for street kids is that these kids are only trying to get from these gangs the companionship they haven’t at home, inside a sporting or. cultural club or inside a youth organisation,” he said.