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Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 7. April 9 1979

Top of the Week— — ats Get Nasty

page 3

Top of the Week—

[unclear: ats] Get Nasty

[unclear: Well], well, the National Party power [unclear: stru-] has hit the daily press. Like every other [unclear: ical] party. National has its full share of [unclear: gues] and conflicts, wheelings and [unclear: dea-]

The struggle between President George [unclear: man] and PM Rob Muldoon is not new; [unclear: ct] the two have cultivated a healthy [unclear: dis-] of each other for some time.

[unclear: what] is new is that this animosity should [unclear: k] out in public. The result of astute [unclear: news-] gering by journalists? Not likely, [unclear: Natio-has] such a long and successful record of [unclear: ing] things close to its chest that the news [unclear: rage] of the showdown must have been [unclear: de-ately] planned.

[unclear: The] event bears other hallmarks that [unclear: sug-] it was all very tidily planned. Most [unclear: sig-] ant is the speed with which the [unclear: Domi-]

Council, Composed of more than 50 [unclear: le] and meeting for the first time since election came to a unanimous decision, [unclear: rly], the extremely large number of [unclear: non-essional] party members have made a [unclear: t] of demonstrating that they are both [unclear: y] organised and a force to be reckoned by the parliamentary branch.

[unclear: Some] commentators have raised the [unclear: po-ity] that Chapman went public with his [unclear: isms] in order to rally party support [unclear: be-] him. That begs the whole question, of [unclear: se], of why a political leader with [unclear: Chap-s] experience would lay his credibility [unclear: e] line without first knowing damn well [unclear: ad] support.

[unclear: emonstration] of the strength of [unclear: Chap-s] beloved 'grass roots' support cannot [unclear: he] only reason for the public nature of political infighting. The possibility of [unclear: ting] party morale and stirring flagging [unclear: ess] interest has already been aired. But should a serious breach of unity [unclear: pro-] these reactions. The answer must be Chapman's statements are meant as a [unclear: erate] warning to the Prime Minister his future may not be all that rosy, [unclear: nt] has in fact heard that Muldoon's came very close to the block last week, as one thing in his favour though He, [unclear: mebody], has been remarkably [unclear: success-i] keeping the whole parliamentary wing [unclear: e] party silent over the affair.

[unclear: Mudoon] the Liberal

[unclear: oapman's] attack on the Government [unclear: in] attack on Muldoon, and it came from [unclear: ight] wing. Worry that Muldoon has not [unclear: ured] the tenets of free enterprise and 'self sufficiency' (as opposed to social welfare) reveals an underlying concern that the Government is not acting properly in the interests of the capitalist class.

Photos of George Chapman and Robert Muldoon

This concern has reared its head before: during the election with breakaway right wing candidates, as an often overlooked theme running through Jack Marshall's periodic criticisms of the PM and in other occasional sorties by prominent party officials. However, none of these have had much effect.

Are the accusations correct? It is true ... that over many issues Muldoon and his Ministers have appeared to bow to the wishes of trade unions or other organised groups who object to being the whipping boys of present policies. Sometimes this has actually happened: certainly some of the groups opposing the Government have been able to force concessions out of it that would not otherwise have been given.

But overall the charges are unfounded. When the Government allows one particular business (or one branch of business) to suffer, it does so in the interests of the whole class. A good example of this was provided last year with the freezing works dispute in Southland. If the farmers' demands had been acceded to, there was a fair chance that the industry would have collapsed. In this case, it was because the combined might of the freezing workers' unions (with potential support from other unions) would hav been brought down on the heads of Government, the companies and the farmers.

The Government has to live with the economic and political reality that the working class is not powerless and will resist any heavy-handed actions to make it so. It already has the legislation to destroy the unions. It does not have the effective support to do it. Gaining that support is a slow process. The farmers have to live with the reality that they are not getting enough for their stock. They cannot, or at least do not, look any further. Another example can be found in the retention of import licenses. These serve the purpose of protecting local industries that cannot keep up with large scale competition from overseas. Their removal would mean bankruptcies and a rapid surge in the number of unemployed. The particular branches of industry not threatened in this way are clamouring for their removal. It won't hurt them, but it will hurt the middle range of industry that forms a part in the economy. The licenses will be removed; it just won't happen all at once.

The Wider Context

The Government didn't cause the economic crisis, although it's policies have not helped much. The crisis has its roots in the nature of New Zealand's capitalist economy, which is subject to vaccillations between boom and bust. The existence of a 'freer, more competitive market economy', which is what the present critics want, is one of the things that guarantees the busts will keep on coming along. Chapman's supporters think they see a way out for themselves at the moment. Whether Muldoon comes round to Chapman's way of seeing things or not doesn't really matter. Neither approach holds out much promise for the people. Their policies affect: the people who get laid off from jobs, the people who can't protect their standards of living, the people whe serve the interests of big business and benefit from it only inasmuch as it keeps them happy enough to go on serving it.

Gary Cooper Rides Again

Brian Talboys hasn't been in the news much lately: he's the nice tall apparently gentle man with the slight shake in the hands. But he hasn't disappeared altogether. We learn from the National Business Review that he had his own pertinent comments on the watersiders' blacking of a German fishing research trawler. "It is a pity you cannot shoot people in this country," he is supposed to have said. How long before straight talking becomes straight shooting?

Simon Wilson

BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD I'D.....