Distraught Mrs Quin tells of support

Press, 25 October 1985, Page 1

Distraught Mrs Quin tells of support

By CINDY BAXTER An elderly woman offering $5 from her pension was one of the many supportive telephone calk received yesterday by Mrs Margaret Quin, the woman suspended on Wednesday from the National Party. A distraught Mrs Quin said yesterday afternoon that she had not slept since hearing of her suspension, as the deputy chairman of the party’s Methven branch, via the news media on Wednesday evening. She was answering calls from 6 a.m. yesterday from supporters, critics, and the news media. “I’ve had a lot of unsolicited legal advice from all over the country," she said. “It has been suggested that my civil rights have been violated and that I should take the National Party to court for damages.” An Auckland businessman offered her financial assistance in any legal proceedings. A local farmer, “who I know is under as much financial stress as myself,” had offered her all he could - $l5O. Although she had received many telephone calls and telegrams from supporters, Mrs Quin also bad had a number of abusive callers telling her she was a disgrace to the National Party. Although Mrs Quin said she had not been told of the reason for her suspension, she suspected it was the leaking to the news media of letters she had sent to party officials seeking clan-

fication of what she believed were “disturbing rumours” about the party’s loan to the member of Parliament for Rangiora, Mr Jim Gerard. She said again that she did not distribute copies of the letters to the National Party conference in July, nor to the news media. “I have never taken steps to take an internal party matter outside the party. My letters are in themselves evidence of my desire to keep it within the party. “It is not my fault that a senior National Party official chose to take it to the media.” Mrs Quin said she had been told that the National Party caucus ruled unanimously yesterday that no National member of Parliament was to speak on the suspensions of Dr Shearer and herself. “The members of Parliament who support me are not able to defend me in public. I have never felt so alone, and all I want to do is hide,” she said.

She was told that 10 party members in Auckland had sent their resignations to

the president, Mrs Sue Wood, after hearing of Mrs Quin’s suspension. At one stage yesterday she tried to get in touch with Mrs Wood in Wellington to try to find out exactly why she had been suspended. After placing a person-to-person collect call to Mrs Wood, Mrs Quin was told that Mrs Wood was in a meeting and would be there until she left for Auckland. “I don’t think that she gives a damm about the fact that my little girl didn’t want to go to school today in case she was ridiculed by her classmates.” Mrs Quin said she did not know if she was going to take legal action against the party. “It would appear that a grave injustice has been perpetrated against me. I have been tried, convicted, sentenced, and my punishment made public without even being aware of what my crime is.” She received a telegram yesterday from the party’s director-general, Mr Barry Leay, telling her of the resolution passed at

Wednesday’s executive meeting, and that she could make written submissions to the executive to be considered at its next meeting on November 27. She would “give anything” to receive an apology from the party for its treatment of her in public, but such an apology was probably not forthcoming. “It’s frightening to think th,at they can publicly ridicule you without having to say what you have done.” She had been told that her suspension had not been on the agenda of the executive’s Wednesday meeting. “If it were a spur-of-the-moment thing then that begs a lot of questions.” If her suspension was rescinded, she would remain in the party. “Of course I would. It is the National Party that I believe in and subscribe to. I agree with the policies and the philosophy of the party, but not with the gross action from some of its temporary officers.”