Gleneagles Agreement? what Agreement?

It has been suggested that Muldoon was in a somewhat humorous, whimsical frame of mind when he palmed the job of Minister of Education onto hapless Merv Wellington. If that is so, he must have been completely hysterical when he appointed Ben Couch Minister of Maori Affairs.

A strong starter in the race for the title "Best Friend of South Africa", Couch, since appointed, has spent most of his time actively supporting the South Africa regime.

[unclear: ,] he is considering an offer to tour South Africa, paid for presumably by the South African government. His comments on the Gleneagles Agreement [unclear: hit] jackpot in the "Stupid Remarks Stakes

Although Ben Couch could scarcely be accused of keeping his personal views hidden, he exceeded even his own normal tactlessness

When the Combined State Services Organisation announced its new policy of not allowing civil servants to draw full pay while in sports tours of South Africa, many people welcomed an overdue positive measure against these sporting contacts. In the spirit of Gleneagles, this move represents a "discouraging of sporting contacts."

The policy of allowing sportsmen and women touring overseas on full pay, is, presumably, a tradition aimed at giving some encouragement and assistance to amateurs who otherwise might face severe financial hardship. But, as Muldoon agreed at Gleneagles, New Zealand will no longer encourage its sportsmen and women to travel to and compete with teams from South Africa. By withdrawing the privilege of leave with full pay, the CSSO is honouring this principle.

Couch however claimed that this was a policy of "selected censorship" and should not be allowed. He argued that it discriminated against those who wished to support the apartheid regime. This was, I thought precisely the intention of Gleneagles.

One wonders how long Couch will survive in cabinet. Even Mr Thompson (Minister in charge of CSSO) and hardly the most liberal face in the National Party, took public exception to Couch's remarks. Couch's comments however may have an indirect benefit. With cabinet ministers publically squabbling, Muldoon may be forced to take a firm position on New Zealand's relations with South Africa.