National plans to curb Mr Walker

Press, 2 April 1985, Page 2

National plans to curb Mr Walker

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington One part of an organisational review of the National Party by a special committee has been aimed directly at the activities of a former National Cabinet Minister, Mr Bert Walker, of Christchurch. It is also intended, indirectly, to stifle some of the activities of the Sunday Club. The committee’s recommendations have still to be considered by National’s Dominion council, in Wellington on April 9 and 10, thought it seems probable they will be adopted by the. council. The single recommendation aimed at Mr Walker affects membership of the executive committee of each of National’s five divisions. In the past, every former Cabinet Minister in a National Government has been an ex-officio member of his or her local divisional executive committee. Mr Walker, more than most other former Ministers, has availed himself of this right. Now that it is unfashionable within National to be seen as a supporter of Sir Robert Muldoon, the Canter-bury-Westland division and the Dominion council have been embarrassed by Mr Walker’s continuing support for Sir Robert. Their embarrassment has been increased by Mr Walker having the Canter-

bury-Westland division’s executive committee as a platform. By removing the right of former Ministers to sit oh divisional executive committees, the report of the review committee would remove this internal party forum from Mr Walker. It is also, more indirectly, a slap at those who continue to support Sir Robert Muldoon within National and have been criticial of the performance of his successor as leader, Mr Jim McLay, the party president, Mrs Sue Wood, and the party’s general director, Mr Barrie Leay. The report was completed before the Sunday Club surfaced to embarrass National further. The Sunday Club maintains that its members

are loyal supporters of National. This part of the review committees recommendations will prevent Mr Walker from advancing his point of view in an important party platform. It is thus calculated to give a little more impetus to driving the Sunday Club, Mr Walker, and those who think like them from the party altogether. Mr Walker could not be reached for comment on the move yesterday as he was visiting the West Coast. Mr Neville Young, the party’s Canterbury-West-land divisional chairman says party officials in Canterbury have reacted “positively” to the proposed structural changes. The changes are recommended in the report by the party’s review committee, which was set up after the election defeat to examine organisation. Mrs Wood has held two meetings in Christchurch during the last two weeks to give the officials an early look at the report. She met first Dominion councillors from the region and then local electorate chairmen. Mr Young said he attended both meetings and the report was well received. He could not comment on any details of the report, which will not be released even for general discussion in the party until it has been considered by the Dominion council.