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Salient. Victoria University of Wellington Students' Newspaper. Volume 31 Number 14. June 25, 1968

Another change for Wedderspoon

Another change for Wedderspoon

Jamie Wedderspoon (23) is reported to be planing to contest the Dunedin North seat in 1969 as a Democratic Labour candidate.

Jamie, known last year and in 1968's first term as Paul James Wedderspoon to VUW students, was quoted in the Otago Daily Times as saying: "I realise the road will be very hard."

Wedderspoon stood for Students' Association Secretary at VUW early this year. He was defeated by John Lenart.

At the annual Executive elections in 1967 he was defeated in his bid for House Committee chairman.

He stood as a Democratic Labour candidate in the Palmerston North by-election, polling 61 votes, and losing his deposit. Features of the by-election included a campaign meeting where he climbed through a window in an attempt to crash a debate between the labour and National candidates.

"Jamie" Wedderspoon has announced his policy on Vietnam as being based on "the needs of the Vietnamese people rather than on American or Communist victory in military terms".

Early in 1967 the Minister of Defence, Mr D. Thompson, while addressing a National Club meeting on government policy in Vietnam, was called a "fascist" by P. J. Wedderspoon. It is understood that the reference was to government support for South Vietnam.

In 1968 Wedderspoon led a delegation of VUW students to see the Minister of Defence. at the time of the SEATO and Peace, Power and Politics conferences. The delegation affirmed its support for government policy in Vietnam.

His latest statement, if quoted correctly, appears to be his third recorded major change of policy on Vietnam.

According to the report quoted earlier, Wedderspoon was a member of the New Zealand Labour Party for seven years. He says he will give "discretionary support" to a Labour government.

To three people he said he received financial support and aid from the N.Z. National Party during the Palmerston North by-election.

National Party support came, Wedderspoon claimed, in an effort to split the Labour vote.

Jamie Wedderspoon's religion is quoted by the O.D.T. as being Presbyterian and his policy includes state support for sectarian schools. As Paul James, he has earlier confessed to sympathies with the Roman Catholic faith, while at another time has referred to a Jewish background.

The Otago Daily Times report refers to Mr Wedderspoon as having had a year as a regular soldier in the New Zealand Army.

At VUW Forum in 1967. Wedderspoon said he had been court-martialled by the Army and as a result spent some time in the Ardmore Military Penal Detention Barracks.

The New Zealand Democratic Labour Party has disassociated itself from Mr J. Wedderspoon's candidature. The party president, Mr S. Guthrie, was quoted in the O.D.T. as saying: "We wish to dissociate ourselves particularly from his policy on Vietnam, which is contrary to our thinking.

"As far as we're concerned, Mr Wedderspoon was a can didate for us at the Palm erston North by-election last year, but he is not a candidate for us in Dunedin North," continued Mr Guthrie.

Wedderspoon said that he considered himself an independent candidate. "I ran on my own two feel at Palmerston North, too."

According to the O.D.T., Jamie Wedderspoon denies having any knowledge of the Democratic Labour Party.