Balance of power, 1981?

Press, 17 April 1979, Page 24

Balance of power, 1981?

PA Wellington Social Credit aimed to get 400,000 votes in the 1981 General Election, said the Social Credit leader, Mr B. C. Beetham. “The seats available, even under the present electoral system, should be enough to hold the balance of responsibility and start the implementation of required reforms,” he told a news conference. “We care not whether it is Labour or National which supports Social Credit in a balance of responsibility situation, although we consider it more likely to be Labour.”

Mr Beetham said many of the 274,000 votes which Social Credit gained at the

last election were drawn from former Labour and National supporters. “We intend continually to point out the deficiencies and failure of the Government, and we will also continually challenge Labour to show what it would do differently if it were the government,” he said.

“With each positive policv proposal we make we will invite from Labour either agreement or some indication of that party’s alternative solution to the problem we are tackling and towards which we are providing the solution.” Labour’s “Achilles heel” was its attitude in trying to project itself as an alternative administration with a better leader and team while at the same time committing

itself to applying the same financial policy as National, Mr Beetham said. He said Social Credit would soon print a booklet presenting a case for the reform of the electoral system along the lines of a particular form of proportional representation. In addition, It had submitted 101 proposals to the Committee of Inquiry into electoral administration, suggesting reform of the present electoral acts.

“The proposals we have made will improve the administration of the present electoral system and will also be necessary for fair and efficient administration of proportional representation when applied within this country,” Mr Beetham said.