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The Faction Line

This Week "the Faction Line" Opens the Labour Party's [unclear: Selection] Cupboard and Reveals.......

[unclear: Orman!] come out of the Cold

[unclear: It's] Time! Thats the dynamic slogan the Labour Party will be campaigning [unclear: under] this year as it zooms off into the 1970's. One M.P. commented [unclear: recent-] that he thougt its rather inappropriate to stick up bill boards with the [unclear: sogan] 'its time' in front name because his faithful electors had [unclear: already] had six years of representation out of him.

[unclear: Is] sad to report, however that the only thing its really time for in the Labour [unclear: Forty] (apart from euthenasia) at present is a change form their paranoic Cold [unclear: ar] fears about associating with commos (you know those hydra-headed [unclear: auto-ons] controlled by the gigantic computer in Moscow or Peking by the [unclear: Inter-tional] Communist Conspiracy Inc.) Next weekend the trendy liberals in [unclear: te] Wellington Labour Party are organising a seminar on issues of concern [unclear: e] freedom of the individual, women's lib the etc. You;d never have guessed [unclear: at] sexy Sue Kedgely is coming down from Auckland to tell the locals all [unclear: out] chicks. So L.P, public relations wizard peter Debreceny, ex-Executive [unclear: ember] Mike Hirschfeld and their trendy mates who are organising the show [unclear: cided] to drag along key goodger of the Socialist Aiction of the Socialist Action League to comment [unclear: Kedgely's] little rave. Good stuff eh? Unfortunately there's a nigger in the [unclear: oodpile], as it were. Just after the Labour Party Conference had ended its [unclear: nual] circus (or was it stage show) this year, the Party's Executive declared [unclear: at] membership of the Socialist Action League was incompatible with [unclear: membership] of the Labour Party, i.e. a purge of Trots such as had never been seen [unclear: nce] Stalin died. The Labour Party apparently thought the S.A.L. was too [unclear: ft] wing for them and told the party faithful that "The League supports [unclear: reform] by revolution and rejects the party's policy of reform by democratic [unclear: pro-sses]". We suggest, just in passing, that to be consistent the Labour Party [unclear: executive] should expunge the names of two ex-leaders. Marry Holland and [unclear: eter] Fraser, from its record for their support for the Russian Revolution!) [unclear: nyway] when the Labour bosses found out that sister Kay was coming to [unclear: int] the menu at their seminar, the started to rant and rave and foam at the [unclear: outh]. Apparently they told Debreceny and Hirschfeld's organising commit[unclear: e to] say 'Out Now' to Kay! Its also rumoured that Debreceny has been [unclear: reatened] with the sack if the seminar goes badly. The orders to arse out Kay [unclear: oodger] are said to have come have from none other than the leader of the Party, [unclear: orm] Kirk, who funnily enough told Hugh Fyson at the L.P. Conference he [unclear: ouldn't] belong to long to both the Labour party and the S.A.L., before the [unclear: Executive] had officially decided on its purge. You see Norm doesn't like his party [unclear: sociated] with commos, even though he apparently didn't mind when the [unclear: ommunist] Party generously stood down their candidate in Lyttleton in 1963 [unclear: allow] him a free run for the seat. Remember that last year he stopped [unclear: other] Wellington Labour Party seminar from inviting Drivers Union [unclear: Secrerary] Ken Douglas to talk about trade unions because Ken was a member of [unclear: e] Socialist Unity Party (Moscow)? At the moment next seminar [unclear: 'embargoed] for labour M.Ps., presumably because Big Norm's scared that [unclear: ay] Goodger's dynamic ideas (which you can read anytime in the Militant or [unclear: he] International Socialist Review) will seduce his lackeys from the straight [unclear: nd] narrow. Funny old world, isn't it, when the only pople to pay political [unclear: ompliments] to forgotten lefties like Doglas and Goodger are the Labour [unclear: arty] leadership. You might even have though that was a reflection on the ankruptcy of ideas inside the Labour Party caucus!

[unclear: f] you' are a big enough masochist go along to the which is being held [unclear: h] the Student Union (a venue the party bosses also objected to because it [unclear: asn't] 'neutral' ground) starting Friday night. Hear Tim dyce on housing. [unclear: rian] Edwards on the law. Win new friends; you too could be re-elected to [unclear: ne] Labour Party Executive next year. On Saturday night they're having a [unclear: iss] up in the University Club thanks to Dave Shand (and indirectly to the [unclear: tudents] Association for its $3000 loan to get the club off the ground). Its in [unclear: he] National Party buliding and we feel that the best solution to the [unclear: Wellington] Labour Party's perennial seminar problem would be all the trendies [unclear: top] of and join POL- Link, The Ginger Group For All Concerned Liberals. [unclear: hat] way Messrs Shand, Debreceny and Hirschreld could put their liberalism to good use and at the same time help the class struggle a bit. And the Labour Party could go back to its staple diet of Norm Kirk's speeches in parliament. After all, comrades, It's Time!

They Gave her Life-But she Got Away!

Apart from the odd Speech of Big Norm's and the Auckland Labour rag, The Statesman (the only good issue of which was withdrawn and burnt for quoting a National party candidate and criticising Big Norm and his sidekick Hughie Watt), party members receive the Labour Party Journal quarterly. A rather useless publication because no-one ever reads it and its glossy page are no good for toilet paper. However many people have been missing out on the subtle humour of the Journal as our research department found in a recent investigation. Take the November 1971 issue.

On page 13there is a bold announcement, "A Hamilton Woman has been Made a Life Member of the New Zealand Labour Party".

The following article reports rank and file work of the lady who received the 'unique honour' of life membership - "she had no peer in catering at Labour Party function", the article records. Apparently the lady's memory was still good. She "well remembers the depression" and 'still treasures the Christmas greetings from former leaders of the Party". The story goes on to record the lady's activities and memories but just at the end the subtle humour comes in. "She passed away recently and arrangements are being made to bestow the honour posthumously to her bereaved family." So much for life membership!

Lost-One Set of Good used Principles in Avon River. Finder Please Apply at Mayoral Chambers.....

While we're on the subject of Labour Party crap outs, there's Neville Pickering, progressive liberal Labour Mayor of Christchurch. Last Saturday Pickering called on the government to cancel next year's Springbok Tour because it could stuff up the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch through a Hack Boycott In Monday's Dominion however Pickering had changed his tune. Over the weekend Abraham Ordia, the president of the Supreme Council for Sports in Africa, said in Munich that cancellation of the Springbok tour was still no guarantee of African attendance at the 1974 games. He made it clear that all sporting ties with South Africa would have to be cut. Ordia's firm stand did not impress Neville Pickering. It seems that Pickering's principle extend only to the Springbok Tour because he accused Mr Ordia of "political blackmail" and said: "He is shifting his ground and the patience of New Zealanders is quickly going to run out." Then Pickering went on to say that it appeared that the Africans had "got carried away with their own importance" after their success at Munich (the arsing of Rhodesia from the "Olympics). We Weilingtonians know that Christchurch is a pretty important place, Pickering, especially in the eyes of Christchurch people! But just who is getting carried away with their own importance? We're sure that Abraham Ordia will really wet himself with fright when he hears that the "patience of New Zealanders (not that Pickering has any right to speak for the rest of us) is quiekly going to run out." The trouble really is that whitey doesn't like it when the Blacks start pushing him around, he's got so used to having the boot on his own foot! But its good to learn that Neville Pickering's fine Labour principles stop when money's involved, not to mention the reputation of his tinpot, parochial little city of Christchurch. Still Pickering's got to make the Commonwealth Games a success because he's up for re-election as Mayor in 1974. "Political blackmail". Nev? — come off it

Next Week — "Expelled from the Labour Party for telling the truth, says student muckraker from walled residence at Karori Cemetry in dramatic post-humous statement". Exclusive to "Faction Line"!