Mr Bolger faces hostile audiences

Press, 4 August 1987, Page 1

Mr Bolger faces hostile audiences

By

MERILYN CHAMBERS,

NZPA political reporter

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bolger, met hostility and criticism during his two main stops in Dunedin yesterday.

On his trip to the heartland of Labour support — the city’s three electorates are all class!* fled as safe Government seats — he was abused at a public meeting in Dunedin North, then greeted by more criticism when he visited the Hillside railway workshop in the traditionally working-class southern part of Dunedin.

One workshop employee was cheered by his colleagues when he said he had "no faith in your party or you ... acting like the Messiah with all the answers after three years in Opposition.” Earlier, when he took the stage at the public meeting to boast National’s "tremendously positive message right across New Zealand,” a heckler turned on him saying "you must be joking,” before others challenged him on his promises as a former Minister of Labour, of 410,000 jobs for the unemployed. He was jeered as a member of the National Cabinet which had developed the "think big” projects, while another interjector shouted that National had no policies — "all you do is blame the Government” “Go back to Sir Robert (Muldoon),” another man said. However, after calmly asking Jtor a little "southern courtesy” Mr Bolger said Labour policies had been unfair, and only added "to the social misery.” "Mr Lange doesn’t give a damn,” he said to cheers from a mainly supportive audience. Asked what part Sir Robert would play In a new National

Government, Mr Bolger repeated that he was not going to make any announcement on a Cabinet until after August 15. "No person can assume that they have a place in the caucus and that Includes Sir Robert Muldoon.”

Mr Bolger also met further challenges on National’s stand on defence and the nuclear issue. “You didn’t mention the subject ... is that because National conceded that its policy is a lie?” one youth asked. Mr Bolger was cheered when he reaffirmed National’s commitment to New Zealand having an operational role in A.N.Z.U.S., although there was also a call of “Bolger backs the bomb.”

His condemnation of Labour’s distinction between aircraft and ships as “hypocritical” was both applauded and jeered.

When asked how National could trust the United States after its involvement in Nicaragua and the Iran arms affair, Mr Bolger retorted "on that basis Labour made a gross error in trusting the Americans” to continue using Christchurch as a base for its Antarctic programme. More , abuse flowed when he visited the railway workshop, which carries on the industry on which South Dunedin was built. In the workers* canteen a number of people challenged him on National’s past record as Government

“I think you’ve got a bloody Cheek to come here as a champion of the workers when in the

last Government all you did was put people off,” said one man in overalls.

When Mr Bolger emphasised he was "always prepared to meet and talk to people ... more than happy to,” another worker shouted “what a load of rubbish!”

National’s policy of raising the qualifying age for superannuation to 65 was also criticised, with one worker saying it should be lowered to 55 to allow younger people to get the jobs available when unemployment was evidently here to stay. However, Mr Bolger said New Zealand could not afford to bring the age down when the number of older people was “drastically increasing” compared with the younger population base to support them. The railwaymen also accused National of having no policy for the Railways. Mr Bolger rejected this, saying that National had a commitment to rail which it saw as complementing road transport. Mr Bolger berated the Minister of Transport, Mr Prebble, telling the workers "you were told by the Minister he was going to save rail and you now know that he hasn't done it” He was then asked if he could explain how there was “no light at the end of the tunnel” after National’s long reign in Government

“The light has gone out in the last 12 months ... wherever you look now you see the lights going out” Mr Bolger replied.