Decision on Dr Shearer deferred

Press, 19 December 1985, Page 2

Decision on Dr Shearer deferred

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in

Wellington

Any decision by the National Party on what to do about the criticisms from its former Cabinet Minister, Dr lan Shearer, has been deferred until next year. Dr Shearer and his counsel, Mr Kevin Ryan, failed to arrive at a meeting of National’s executive committee in Wellington which they had said they would attend.

Instead, at 9 a.m., a telegram arrived from Mr Ryan saying he was involved in murder proceedings in court in Auckland. The president of the National Party, Mrs Sue Wood, said she was "disappointed and frustrated” at this turn of events.

“This was the first advice we got, yet both Dr Shearer and his counsel must have known of this in advance of 9 o’clock this morning,” she said.

In its annoyance, the national executive had been sorely tempted to deal with the whole matter there and then. But it had decided to “bend over backwards” to be accommodating, so that Dr Shearer and his counsel had been invited to the next national executive meeting on January 29, Mrs Wood said. “But after January 29 there will be no further adjournment, even if it is requested,” she said. Two months ago Dr Shearer, and Mrs Margaret Quin, of Methven, were suspended from the National Party by the executive committee for acting against National’s interests. At its November meeting the executive committee rescinded this suspension on

legal advice. At the November meeting, a sub-committee was set up to meet Dr Shearer and his counsel in Auckland. This meeting occurred in early December. Mrs Wood said the subcommittee had made a detailed report but no recommendation. She would not divulge the contents of this report because she was still bound by legal considerations.

The sub-committee’s report had given the executive committee three options — to suspend Dr Shearer again, to cancel his membership of the party, or to take no further action. It was to discuss this report that Dr Shearer and Mr Ryan had been invited to yesterday’s meeting, so that the executive committee could choose one of the options. On the issue of the intention of the Christchurchbased ginger group, the Sunday Club, to field its own candidates in the next election, Mrs Wood said the matter was not clear ■yet. She also said she had given no thought to her own position and future with the National Party, and would not comment further.

Leadership issues, including the failed coup recently to replace Mr McLay, and polls about the leadership had not been discussed. The polls had shown solid support for National. Mr McLay had foreshadowed his intention to have a reshuffle of positions and portfolios, and had invited members of the executive committee to make submissions to him, Mrs Wood said.