1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:02,360 Speaker 1: Very sober senior political correspondence with us. 2 00:00:02,400 --> 00:00:03,800 Speaker 2: Now, Hey, Barry, good afternoon, Heather. 3 00:00:03,920 --> 00:00:06,360 Speaker 1: Forty years to the day since the snap election was called. 4 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:08,880 Speaker 2: Seems like yesterday, doesn't it? 5 00:00:09,119 --> 00:00:11,720 Speaker 1: Just Mate Muldoon was still alive. 6 00:00:11,720 --> 00:00:14,000 Speaker 2: I just thought i'd remind you listeners. The reason why 7 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,360 Speaker 2: it was called was Marilyn Wearing was supporting the Labor 8 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:22,520 Speaker 2: parties proposed nuclear free New Zealand policy and the majority 9 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,279 Speaker 2: was so slim that Muldoon decided that he wouldn't take 10 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 2: the chance. I became known as the Snap's Election after 11 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:34,839 Speaker 2: I interviewed him daily during the campaign. But I was 12 00:00:34,920 --> 00:00:39,479 Speaker 2: up at Government House when he prorogued Parliament, and my 13 00:00:39,880 --> 00:00:45,040 Speaker 2: memory of it was the Government House butler ferrying into 14 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,880 Speaker 2: a little anti room off of the entrance a glass 15 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:51,680 Speaker 2: of scotch, and he did that several times. And by 16 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 2: the time that Muldoon emerged onto the steps at Government 17 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:59,480 Speaker 2: House was only myself and another reporter there. He was 18 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 2: absolutely incoherent and the Governor General, David Beatty, he had 19 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 2: to take over the interview whilst Muldourn was bundled into 20 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:14,479 Speaker 2: his lted limo taken back to Parliament to sober up. Now, 21 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,520 Speaker 2: when Muldoon got back to Parliament. They worked to sober 22 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 2: him up, there's no doubt about that. Before he faced 23 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:25,920 Speaker 2: the media en mass. This is probably his most immortal slur. 24 00:01:27,040 --> 00:01:30,600 Speaker 2: We got a date the fourteenth of July, which we 25 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 2: worked out at Government House as being the appropriate date. 26 00:01:34,720 --> 00:01:36,320 Speaker 3: It doesn't give you much time to run up to 27 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 3: an election from minister. 28 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 2: Doesn't give my panish much time to run up to 29 00:01:40,480 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 2: an election, does it? I certainly didn't. And I remember 30 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:47,600 Speaker 2: the Tom Scott cartoon that appeared in the newspaper the 31 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:52,200 Speaker 2: next morning. It was Muldourn waking up in bed next 32 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:54,920 Speaker 2: to his wife was there, but he used to call 33 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 2: a Tam waiting waking up with the party hats on 34 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 2: the bed and the streamers, and Muldoon looking at Tam saying, 35 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,200 Speaker 2: did I say something about a snap election last night? 36 00:02:05,560 --> 00:02:09,359 Speaker 2: And it was probably very true. But the drinking continued 37 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:13,200 Speaker 2: through the campaign and on the Thursday night, when he 38 00:02:13,320 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 2: wrapped up his campaign, I remember he arrived at the 39 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:21,000 Speaker 2: Auckland Town Hall and he was batting off protesters and 40 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:23,840 Speaker 2: I said to him, Prime Minister, can I interview you 41 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:27,600 Speaker 2: about the election campaign and how it's gone? He said, 42 00:02:27,639 --> 00:02:31,040 Speaker 2: as come and see me in my room an hour 43 00:02:31,120 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 2: after I've finished speaking. I think that was his biggest mistake, 44 00:02:34,480 --> 00:02:37,520 Speaker 2: because by the time I got there, he was slumped 45 00:02:37,520 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 2: in an arm chair, little wisps of hair hanging over 46 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:46,520 Speaker 2: his shoulder, tie undone, and lying on the floor by 47 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 2: his side was an empty bottle of red wine. I 48 00:02:49,240 --> 00:02:55,000 Speaker 2: gin reflected as radio reporters do, and put a microphone 49 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 2: up to his mouth and I said, Primers, do you 50 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,800 Speaker 2: think you've won the elect He goes, he waved, waggles 51 00:03:02,880 --> 00:03:05,680 Speaker 2: his head from side to side, and I said, prime Aster, 52 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:09,040 Speaker 2: this is radio. You've got to speak. Ask the question again. 53 00:03:09,080 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 2: Do you believe you won the election? Marldon goes Nope, 54 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 2: And I thought, my god, I've got an absolute scoop here, 55 00:03:17,080 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 2: And of course he was. He was conceding defeat. On 56 00:03:19,600 --> 00:03:22,560 Speaker 2: the Thursday night before the election, all my colleagues had 57 00:03:22,600 --> 00:03:25,919 Speaker 2: repaired to the bar at the hotel because they hadn't 58 00:03:26,040 --> 00:03:29,720 Speaker 2: fortunately got an interview with Muldoon. He was on radio. 59 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:31,280 Speaker 2: First thing the next morning. 60 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:33,520 Speaker 1: You ran it the next morning, oh, we ran it. 61 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 2: The next morning. He called a press conference at eight 62 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:39,560 Speaker 2: o'clock and he are sitting in the front row of 63 00:03:39,600 --> 00:03:43,440 Speaker 2: the press conference and he denied all knowledge of the interview, 64 00:03:43,480 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 2: which was probably true. Probably couldn't remember him. 65 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: Say that it was taken out of context. 66 00:03:46,800 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 2: And absolutely that he might have said was taken out 67 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:52,280 Speaker 2: of context. I said, but Prime Minister, I was there. 68 00:03:52,880 --> 00:03:55,360 Speaker 2: You said it to me. No, no, no, you twisting 69 00:03:55,440 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 2: things again, mister Sohoper So and that was the end 70 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:00,240 Speaker 2: of it, and it was the end of my doo. 71 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:02,920 Speaker 2: And of course that snap election Roger Douglas I heard 72 00:04:02,960 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 2: you refer to earlier. Interestingly, he laid what became the 73 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 2: economic foundation for New Zealand. And without that foundation being laid, 74 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:15,760 Speaker 2: this country probably would have been in an even worse 75 00:04:15,800 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 2: state than it is today because we haven't wavered from 76 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,000 Speaker 2: that through various hues of government. 77 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: Yep, absolutely, Hey Willie Jackson, So will he believes everything 78 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:29,280 Speaker 1: was just absolutely. 79 00:04:28,760 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 2: Ten sweet it does. I mean, it's incredible that he 80 00:04:34,040 --> 00:04:37,480 Speaker 2: was on AM this morning on TV three and he 81 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:43,560 Speaker 2: was bitter about the coalition government scrapping the Climate change Initiative. 82 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:48,640 Speaker 2: Hey Wakinoa and he said, after years of work, everybody 83 00:04:48,720 --> 00:04:53,280 Speaker 2: had come together. He seemed confused though, when he claimed 84 00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 2: that farmers had agreed to the Emissions Trading Act coming 85 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:01,919 Speaker 2: into force. For them next year. Haven't listened to what 86 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 2: he had to. 87 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:04,880 Speaker 3: Say twenty one years ago, all the nut jobs right 88 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:07,440 Speaker 3: coming up the steps of Parliament. We get this wonderful 89 00:05:07,480 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 3: Prime Minister, Justina our and he says, I don't want 90 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:12,839 Speaker 3: that anymore. Industry. We're going to work together. All the 91 00:05:12,920 --> 00:05:16,480 Speaker 3: industry heads come together, federated farmers you know, beef and 92 00:05:16,640 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 3: lamb and beef for the Marley Federation of all that. 93 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 3: Everyone comes together. We work on an agreement where the 94 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 3: industry actually looks like it's going to pay its way. 95 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 3: It's sadly our environmentalist killers, some of the nutjob farmers 96 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:32,400 Speaker 3: saying no, no, no, But we actually had an agreement, 97 00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:34,880 Speaker 3: we had a commitment. We had a wonderful Prime minister 98 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:36,440 Speaker 3: and just Into Adourne who started this. 99 00:05:36,839 --> 00:05:39,320 Speaker 2: You'll see talk about being out to lunch and twenty 100 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:43,160 Speaker 2: one years ago, just to remind listeners that it was 101 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 2: another man, but with the name rather turn it was 102 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:51,280 Speaker 2: Shane a Dern Shane who drove myrtle, his massy Ferguson. 103 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 2: This was the day of politics. It was great, drove 104 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:58,560 Speaker 2: it up the front steps of Parliament to oppose what 105 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 2: they then called the Art Text. Yes and he was 106 00:06:02,760 --> 00:06:03,800 Speaker 2: ushered out on the planet. 107 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:05,599 Speaker 1: Will He's going to have to find a new way 108 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,080 Speaker 1: of trying to convince voters to vote for the Labor 109 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:11,120 Speaker 1: Party again, because reminding us that the Prime Minister was 110 00:06:11,200 --> 00:06:16,040 Speaker 1: wonderful is only going to repel us, furthering his chances 111 00:06:16,080 --> 00:06:19,000 Speaker 1: in hand all of purthern No, Hey, thank you, Barry. 112 00:06:19,000 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 1: Will wrap the political week that was a quarter past 113 00:06:20,760 --> 00:06:22,920 Speaker 1: six again. Barry Sober, Senior Political Correspondent. 114 00:06:23,640 --> 00:06:24,280 Speaker 2: For more from 115 00:06:24,360 --> 00:06:27,640 Speaker 1: Heather Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to News Talks 'd 116 00:06:27,640 --> 00:06:31,760 Speaker 1: B from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.