Bolger’s job as leader under threat

Press, 4 March 1989, Page 1

Bolger’s job as leader under threat

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

For the first time since he took over the job three years ago, Mr Jim Bolger’s leadership of the National Party is under serious threat.

The position of the president of the party, Mr Neville Young, also looks far from secure as the party’s previous unity appears to be coming apart.

This flows from and is confirmed by events in the week since the forced resignation of National’s secretary-general, Mr Max Bradford.

Mr Bolger has survived as National’s leader in part because of his ability to play off against each other the groups in his Parliamentary caucus led by Mr Winston Peters and Miss Ruth Richardson.

These supporters are starting to talk to each other because of Mr Bolger’s maladroit reshuffle of responsibilities two weeks ago. They are encouraged by Mr Bolger’s inability to protect his friend, Mr Bradford, from attacks from opponents in the party organisation. All this week while Parliament has been sitting there have been meetings among National members of Parliament in their offices, some meetings bringing together unlikely groupings of people.

This gave rise to the rumour that Mr Murray McCully (East Coast Bays) would oppose Mr Young for the presidency. Mr McCully was a McLay supporter before he entered Parliament. He is one of the most talented of National’s new members of Parliament, and got nothing out of Mr Bolger’s reshuffle.

This was widely assumed in Parliament Buildings to be a deliberate slight to Mr McCully.

He has refused to confirm or deny rumours he would seek the presidency.

What is certain is that Mr Bolger summoned Mr McCully and criticised him for his disloyalty, telling him there was no way he could be president. Further, Mr Bolger went to some lengths at his regular Thursday press conference to castigate Mr McCully before the assembled news media.

Mr McCully refused to comment on Mr Bolger’s criticisms, but plenty of his friends in the caucus are speaking on 'his behalf.

These tend to be supporters of Miss Richardson — and Mr McCully is a Richardson supporter. They are already furious over the now widely believed decision by Mr Bolger — first rumoured before Christmas — that if elected in 1990, the National Government would not have Miss Richardson but Mr Bill Birch as

its Minister of Finance.

What Mr McCully needs to bolster his determination is a sign that people beyond the Richardson supporters support him. Those signs were emerging this week and among those offering support were members of the group supporting Mr Peters.

If Mr Peters supports a McCully nomination for the party presidency, this will be a direct challenge not just to Mr Young but to Mr Bolger himself, who has said that “I don’t expect any caucus member will be standing for the presidency.” It would signal that the Peters and Richardson groups had done a deal, something that Mr Bolger has been adroit enough to prevent so far.

The price of Mr Peters’ support for Mr McCully as president would be Miss Richardson’s support for Mr Peters as leader.