"Political Suspended Animation” (Press, 23 September 1974)
This is a Generative AI summary of this newspaper article. It may contain errors or omissions. Please note that the language in the summary is reflective of the original article and the societal attitudes of the time in which it was written.
Summary: "Political Suspended Animation” (Press, 23 September 1974)
David Mitchell, the leader of the Progressive Kiwi Party, recently visited Sydenham to prepare for the upcoming by-election. During his visit, he engaged with local residents to gauge their political sentiments. He reported in a release to The Press that the feedback from 21 people he spoke to revealed a significant disinterest in the election. Seven individuals expressed they had no opinions on the by-election, and three supported the Labour Party. Two others indicated they saw no difference between Labour and the National Party. Notably, none of the residents voiced support for the Progressive Kiwi Party. Mitchell posits that the Progressive Kiwis are already emerging as a political force in Wellington and are influencing the local political landscape. His party plans to contest the Sydenham by-election in alliance with the Liberal Party, promoting platforms such as abortion law reform, repealing laws against homosexual behaviour, and establishing incentives for extra work. In his discussions with Sydenham residents, various opinions emerged. Some questioned the necessity of spending $10,000 on a by-election, while others pointed out that the strong Labour support in Sydenham is attributed to the area's diligent residents. Mitchell noted that the Christchurch office of the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation (NZBC) was not particularly engaged politically, whereas local newspapers and Radio Avon displayed a keen interest in both local and national political issues. At 43, Mitchell operates a greeting-card business in Wellington, which he is willing to sell if he secures the Sydenham seat. However, he acknowledges the steep challenge ahead, referencing the 1972 General Election in which parties outside the three main ones garnered less than 5 percent of the total vote.
Important Information
The text on this page is created, in the most part, using Generative AI and so may contain errors or omissions. It is supplied to you without guarantee or warranty of correctness. If you find an error or would like to make a content suggestion please get in contact
The text on this page is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand