’War bid premature, says Mr Beetham

Press, 12 April 1979, Page 18

’War bid premature, says Mr Beetham

PA Wellington The leader of the Social Credit Political League (Mr B. C. Beetham) has said that the president of the National Party (Mr G. A. Chapman) was premature in announcing “war” on Social Credit when there was growing “civil disorder” within his own party. Mr Beetham said that Mr Chapman’s promised onslaught on Social Credit, which was made earlier this year, would have to wait until the National Party had resolved fundamental philosophic differences between its private-enterprise and State-control wings. “Mr Chapman’s problem is the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) and the Parliamentary wing of the National Party,” he said. “Mr Chapman knows that the Parliamentary wing has followed a bureaucratic policy of control, regulation, and regimentation of the economy. “He also knows that Social Credit, unlike National, strongly advocates individual enterprise and initiative. “He also knows that these are the reasons why so many National voters deserted to Social Credit in November,” Mr Beetham said.

“He therefore knows that any effective attack on Social Credit can only be mounted if the National Party returns to its original programme of individual competitive enterprise.” Mr Beetham said that Mr Muldoon and the Parliamentary National Party ■were so deep in the mire of centralised economic management, and especially deficit financing, that they were committed under financial orthodoxy to additional centralist

economic policies to try' to correct their own mistakes. “But this will only lead them further down the socialist spiral,” he said. Mr Beetham said: “Sorry, Mr Chapman, your wishes for the Muldoon Government are admirable, but they have got themselves in so deep they may not be able to dig themselves out. We were looking forward to the battle, but it looks as if we will be frustrated warriors.”