1Sleepwalking to Victory The language has been blunt to say the least. There has been talk of zealots so determined to reach their own ends, they are not worried about the means. About manipulation by unelected representatives, and a political and democratic process being overridden. And it’s not Roger Douglas talking about David Lange, or even Lange talking about Douglas. It’s National Party President Neville Young talking about the campaign to oust him as Party President at next week’s party conference in Dunedin. The fight for the Presidency of the National Party is an obvious sign of the split in the Party over the leadership and direction National must take if it is to become Government in 1990. John Collinge’s bid for the top job is backed by an ambitious group of young Caucus Turks who claim the party is in urgent need of change. It is a movement that could not only unseat Neville Young, but threaten the stability of Jim Bolger’s leadership.

2Heylen/Frontline Poll Frontline commissioned a Heylen poll to test the opinions of those still undecided on their voting intentions. It was a telephone poll of 675 randomly selected eligible voters from nationwide. It was during the evenings of last Wednesday and Thursday and has a margin of error of 4%. Issues polled were: party preference; support for 1989 Budget; and preferred Prime Minister. The results reveal Labour is closing the gap on National.

3Interview with the Leader of the National Party, Jim Bolger.