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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume. 33, Number 9. 25 June, 1970

O'Brien on Campus

O'Brien on Campus

Mr John O'Brien, the new Social Credit League leader, spoke to students at Victoria on 15 June.

Mr O'Brien expounded basic Social Credit monetary policy. He also dealt at length with foreign policy.

He said that the Vietnam problem was not of a military nature. "It is," he said, "a socio-economic problem." Mr O'Brien felt that the war was not "Communist-inspired,"—this term, in his opinion, being too liberally used to describe such situations. He added that the League felt that New Zealand troops should never have been sent to Vietnam.

When questioned on demonstrations Mr O'Brien said that they had turned into battles between students and the authorities, He said that demonstrations could not achieve any change and advised his audience "to become involved in politics."

Mr O'Brien said that the former Social Credit leader, Mr Cracknel], was not "forced to resign". He explained Mr Cracknell's resignation as a "difference of opinion as to policy." Mr O'Brien and his supporters had considered that the political section of the League should make the political decisions, and the administration the administrative decisions. Mr Cracknell, said Mr O'Brien, could not agree with this.