Young slams rival ‘faction’

Press, 29 May 1989, Page 3

Young slams rival ‘faction’

PA Invercargill The battle for the National Party presidency gained momentum in Invercargill at the week-end when the president, Mr Neville Young, attacked a “faction” backing the challenger, Mr John Collinge. “A faction has solicited condidates to stand against me— the current candidate ... is not the first or even the fourth to be asked — he is simply the first to agree,” Mr Young told the party’s annual Otago-Southland divisional conference. He said this was no reflection on Mr Collinge as a person — it was the facts.

“The faction is interested in power. It is currently a minority, but it seeks to use the policy and selection mechanisms to ultimately control our party. "The faction seeks a president who will, at worst, not exercise power and authority to stop manipulation of the party. A pleasant figurehead — a nice guy.

“Or, at best, a president who will support their cause and use the president’s influence in the policy and selection mechanisms to their advantage.” Mr Young said he had attempted to settle the issues involved in the party’s administrative controversy last year, which resulted in the oust-

ing of the party secretarygeneral, Mr Max Bradford. “As president, I attempted to settle the issues by negotiation but the issues involved were too fundamental to be so resolved. “Faced with an eitheror decision, I decided to exercise authority by not supporting the administration. From the moment that decision was made I have been under attack.” Mr Young said he had signalled he was not prepared to be manipulated in the coming policy and selection round and thereby represented "a threat to certain ambitions.”

Mr Collinge, who was not given the opportunity to reply, said afterwards that he was surprised at Mr Young’s attack. “I am surprised because I have been supported by majorities at the Waikato and Wellington conferences, and by 44 per cent at the Auckland conference — I would not regard that as a faction. “I would not have allowed my name to go forward on the basis of a faction.” Mr Collinge said that in political terms his support came from both the Left and Right of the party and from both those who favoured Mr Bradford and who were against him.