Son’s selection not surprising—Connelly

Press, 2 November 1989, Page 7

Son’s selection not surprising—Connelly

By

NIGEL MALTHUS

Mr Mick Connelly, who held the Yaldhurst seat for Labour for nine Parliamentary terms, says he is not surprised that his son has been selected as National’s candidate.

Mr John Connelly, who joined National in 1986 because of dissatisfaction with the present Government, won selection as National’s Yaldhurst candidate on Tuesday evening.

Mr Mick Connelly said yesterday: "I wasn’t surprised, because he has a political background, and has been active politically.” Mr Connelly, a former Labour Cabinet Minister, held the seat through boundary changes and name changes — from Riccarton to Wigram to Yaldhurst — from 1957 to retirement in 1984.

His son gave him, a

hand “a great deal” over the years, and more recently showed what he could do when he won National’s “canvasser of the year” award — all of which the National delegates would have taken into account when they made the selection, Mr Connelly said. He had always told his family that Parliamentary democracy needed people to. make a contribution to make it work. Young people ought to. participate and join a political party of their choice, he said.

“I never thought everything the Labour Party did was right, and I never thought everything the National Party did was wrong.” Mr Connelly said he expected his son would fight an ethical campaign, on the issues, not personalities.

He would not comment, however, on the possibility that he, a life member of the Labour Party, might work against his son during the campaign.

Mrs Margaret Austin, who has held Yaldhurst for Labour since 1984, said yesterday that Mr Connelly was a member of her campaign advisory team.

She said she welcomed Mr John Connelly as National’s candidate but warned that Yaldhurst was now “Austin territory” in the tradition established by Mr Connelly sen.

“I look forward to debating the issues but remind him that Yaldhurst is Labour, always has been Labour, and will be Labour again in 1990.”