Socred’s priorities

Press, 12 April 1979, Page 19

Socred’s priorities

Social Credit has listed 20 seats as “category one” as a result of their showing in last November’s General Election — 17 more than the league regarded as prime targets last year. This is one of the details of organisation changes and campaign emphasis for the 1981 General Election that the league’s deputy leader, Mr Jeremy Dwyer, of Hastings, is taking to regional sections of the league on his

present tour of New ZeaIt is the earliest start to an election campaign the league has made and Mr Dwyer has been made a fulltime officer of the league to see it on its way. He said that a big influence in the league’s thinking had been the strong urban support for Social Credit at the last election, the first time that this support had been so strong. A reflection of this was the inclusion of six urban seats in the prime target group: Hastings, Whangarei, East Coast Bays, Helensville, Papakura, and Albany. In all of these seats the league last year achieved 20 per cent of the vote. Another 21 seats are listed in “category two” (down to 15 per cent of the vote); 37 are listed in category three (between 10 and 15 per cent); and 12 (including the Christchurch seats) in category four. Mr Dwyer said that the league’s showing had not been the sole criterion in deciding the emphasis to be placed on campaigns: branch membership and fund-raising ability had also been considered.

The reorganisation of the league would include better

co-ordination of Parliamentary and “political wing” effort, something which was vital since the league’s sole representative, Mr B. C. Beetham, member of Parliament for Rangitikei, had set himself a heavy year in the House with many private member’s bills, said Mr Dwyer. The early selection of candidates was another possibility. Some dozen branches already had prospective candidates selected, but a bal» ance had to be maintained between being able to get a flying start in the 1981 election campaign and being certain that the best possible candidate was put forward. In a statement made to the annual meeting of Social Credit’s Rangitikei branch, Mr Beetham said that the result of recent Government price increases would be a return to an inflation rate of between 12 and 14 per cent. Increasing unemployment, a price rise for all energy resources to correspond with the new electricity price, intensified pressure on families, and “the continuing sellout of New Zealand to overseas interests,” would result, he said. Giving a freer hand to private enterprise to do its thing will prove impossible under the Government’s policy of deficit budgeting without corresponding financial reform, because deficit budgeting involves strong central Government action to reduce the money that private enterprise needs access to in order to survive,” said Mr Beetham.