Canty adds support for early leadership vote

Press, 26 October 1984, Page 3

Canty adds support for early leadership vote

The Canterbury-Westland division of the National Party is playing a big part in the push for an early caucus vote on the party’s leadership.

Members of the division have given their local members of Parliament a strong message that they want the leadership resolved this year, rather than in Febru-

ary. No formal step has been taken, but party sources say that there has been a great deal of discussion on the issue.

The member of Parliament for Selwyn, Miss Ruth Richardson added her voice yesterday to a call by one of the leadership contenders, Mr George Gair, for an early decision. She said one of the reasons she had spoken out

was the strong feeling in the Canterbury-Westland division. It was probably the most “vibrant” division in the National Party at the moment.

Miss Richardson said there were compelling reasons to hold the selection before February. The ideal time to pick a new leader would be after the presentation of the Budget on November 8.

“Just as the Budget is likely to signal the beginning of the reversal of the Government’s fortunes, so too should we use that timing to start raising our fortunes,” she said.

If the leadership change was made before Christmas, the transitional period would be over before Parliament sat again in February...

She said there was a growing feeling in the party organisation that the leadership should be resolved soon.

“If there is any lesson to be learned from the election, it is that there ought to be a substantial connection between the party organisation and the Parliamentary wing.

“The party thinks that although transition is never easy, we have no chance of recovering our position until we have a new leader.”

The party organisation had done its part by putting its house in order, and it was time the National caucus did the same. Miss Richardson said she had wanted the leadership issue settled in July, when the caucus decided instead to defer it until February.

Sir Robert Muldoon said at that time it was unlikely that he would be a candidate.

She said yesterday that she might raise in the caucus the matter of an early vote on the leadership, but she wanted to make sure of having enough support before doing so. There was also a possibility that other members of the caucus would raise the issue, she said. Two of the leadership contenders, Mr Gair and Mr Jim Bolger, were “not averse” to the decision’s being made before February.

The third candidate for the leadership, the party’s deputy leader, Mr Jim McLay, has yet to announce that he is in the race, although he has been lobbying for the post.