Peters comment out of line, says Bolger

Press, 1 April 1989, Page 8

Peters comment out of line, says Bolger

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bolger, has sided with Miss Ruth Richardson against Mr Winston Peters on monetary policy. This follows a week of turmoil in the National Party and a very public row between Miss Richardson and Mr Peters. In an even-handed reprimand, Mr Bolger had earlier criticised both his colleagues for their public spat. The dispute between Miss Richardson and Mr Peters over monetary policy was the subject of a long discussion at National’s weekly caucus meetirig on Thursday. At a press conference afterwards Mr Bolger declined to be drawn on who he thought was right.

Instead, he said that party policy was broad enough to include both points of view, and he accepted assurances from Mr Peters that he had not transgressed party policy. But Mr Bolger yesterday changed his position that both Miss Richardson and Mr Peters were working within party policy. Mr Bolger said Mr Peters’ comment about loosening monetary policy had been out of line. For a while both had been right, he said. Miss Richardson had correctly identified the failure of the Government to identify where it was going to achieve savings in the public sector and Mr ’ Peters had identified the job losses that were likely to follow. When Mr Peters had then gone

on to talk about loosening monetary policy he had been out of line.

Only 24 hours earlier Mr Bolger had said, “There appears to be very little between the two protagonists.” At the caucus meeting both had gone through their respective positions and believed they were consistent with policy. It was more than a week (March 23) since Miss Richardson asserted that Mr Peters’ call for greater public spending and a loosening of monetary supply “is not National Party policy,” before Mr Bolger publicly supported the position she has been maintaining since.

Mr Peters could not be reached yesterday to comment on Mr Bolger’s change of heart.