Dunedin backing for Labour Left group

Press, 26 April 1989, Page 8

Dunedin backing for Labour Left group

PA Dunedin A group of former Labour Party supporters is preparing to start working in a Dunedin organisation to support the growing new Left movement, a spokesman said last evening. Dr Harry Love, who publicly resigned from the Dunedin North Labour electorate committee on Monday evening, said the group was awaiting the formation of an official Left movement. When that happened, the group would move into the new movement. "At that point the movement would be a city-wide organisation, but as the thing grows, as I have no doubt it will, we will organise on an electorate basis,” he said. Economic and social policy has been discussed and a public announcement should be made soon. Mr Chris Trotter, one of the first to resign from the Labour Party after the Sydenham Member of Parliament, Mr Jim Anderton, said there had been a lot of discussion throughout the country about the new movement. But he was not in a position last evening to reveal a “master plan.” Mr Trotter expected any announcement to come after an account-

ability meeting between Mr Anderton and his Sydenham organisation. “People in Dunedin have responded to his expressed desire that there be something greater than a single individual and the response here has been pretty dramatic,” he said. “There will be a growing number of Labour Party people looking towards Jim Anderton for some sort of indication of how the whole movement is developing and which direction it will head.” On Monday 11 members of the Minister of Labour’s Dunedin North electorate committee resigned from the Labour Party. They are the chairman, Maurice Austin, the secretary Ray McCormick, the vice-chairman Fred Rudkin (Labourers’ Union) and eight executive members, Harry Love, Penny Love, Mark Olsen, Bill McKay, George Brinsdon (Labourers’ Union), Shirley Bellugue (Distribution Workers Union), Thelma Beer (Distribution Workers’ Union), and David Lattimer. Mr Rodger was not present at the meeting and Dr Love said it was another indication that he had lost contact with most of his supporters.

“The machine has been run down here in some

respects.” : But that has been denied by the party’s regional organiser, Mr Peter Hodgson. “The party has enormous depth in Dunedin North and the L.E.C. will be back up to speed within the next few weeks. We are fortunatein having hundreds of committed members in the electorate,” Mr Hodgson said. He did not wish to belittle the efforts of those who had resigned but he could not see the events “even remotely threatening the next election in Dunedin North.” Things are not all bad for the Labour Party in Dunedin electorates. The St Kilda electorate committee on Monday evening expressed unanimous support for the Gov--ernment and its M.P., the Minister of Social Welfare, Dr Cullen. The committee chairman, Mr Brian O’Connor, said there were no moves in St Kilda for mass resignations and although there were Left-wing supporters in the electorate they did not react like those in Dunedin North. Mr Hodgson said he did not know of any resignations from the Dunedin West electorate.