Labour Hamstrung by its Track Record

Most of the questions went to Isbey. When he claimed New Zealand would have to make a choice between production for profit and production for use people wanted to know what Labour was doing about it. Isbey said that if it was to be the latter choice a great many people would have to be convinced. What was Labour doing to convince them? These things take time, he replied.

Someone restated the theme of Clarke's' speech: depressions aren't caused by working people, they are caused by the people who run this country, the big businesses, for unemployment is good for business. But Isbey wasn't going to listen to any marxist theories about how to solve everything tomorrow.

What about Comalco? someone else asked. Bill Rowling had actually attacked Muldoon for not honouring a contract, and had clearly revealed the extent to which Labour was prepared to fight foreign control. Other examples were used, and other fields covered. National's policy of not allowing married women the benefit was bad, but was the Labour restriction to women who had worked a straight year that much better?

By this time Isbey was getting the teensiest bit angry. Why don't you criticise National? he demanded. Why don't we talk about something else, like the Southern Africa Scholarship? But people at the forum weren't very sold on the idea that a real choice was being offered them this November. There wasn't much Isbey had to offer which reassured them.

Simon Wilson