Convention a ‘carnival’

Press, 25 July 1984, Page 6

Convention a ‘carnival’

NZPA-Reuter Moscow The Soviet daily, “Pravda,” says the United States Democratic Party’s convention in San Francisco was a noisy carnival at which serious political issues were largely ignored. “It all looked like a fancy-dress ball, like some kind of giant indoor picnic. It was certainly nothing like the congress of a party destined to decide vitally important problems,” the

Communist Party newspaper said. Delegates largely ignored speeches from the podium and serious political business was conducted only behind the scenes in hotel rooms and lobbies, “Pravda” said. The newspaper said the entire hall had been “convulsed by some kind of mass St Vitus’ dance” when Walter Mondale accepted the party’s nomination as

presidential candidate. “This was a carnival and nothing else.” “Pravda” expressed approval for the parts of the Democratic Party programme which criticised President Reagan for failing to start new East-West arms reduction talks. But it said much of the party’s election platform was also full of anti-Com-munist rhetoric.