Mudslingers Sling Back

Your political editor is well astray in his comments on University political Clubs, reported in the last issue of "Salient". Might I point out just a few of the errors in Mr. Haas's article.

We are accused of mud-slinging and lack of constructive political activity. Such accusations are at variance with the facts. Mr. Haas must surely agree that the meetings last year addressed by Mr. Nordmeyer and Mr. Nash were hardly of a destructive nature. Mr. Nordmeyer spoke on Labour's policy and Mr. Nash on the philosophy of the Labour party. The Labour Party Club held a meeting in December specifically to discuss and formulate remits for the Annual conference of the Party. This is certainly constructive politics and aiming at serious political thought. Perhaps Mr. Haas was not aware of this meeting.

I am pleased to see that he mentions the active part played by the Labour Party Club in the Election campaign. I can think of few things more constructive on the part of a political club than assisting its party in such a way. This involved a lot of hard work and sacrifice on the part of our members, hardly the "pure sophistry" that Mr. Haas speaks of.

Perhaps it was Mr. Norman Kirk's meeting that upset him. White I would agree that such a topic is not entirely constructive, surely criticism of the present government is a perfectly legitimate political activity. Criticism is not mudslinging which is what Mr. Haas seems confused with.

And incidentally regarding the attendance figure at Mr. Kirk's meeting, I am sure that this was intended to be 95, as this is the correct figure.

Mr. Haas's remarks are so wide of the mark that I am prompted to ask him to think in future before he makes such sweeping statements.