Hide to offer Brash advice

Act leader Rodney Hide will today give National leader Don Brash some unsolicited advice on political survival and how to cling to the National Party leadership.

Mr Hide pulled off his own feat of political survival during last year's election when he unexpectedly won the Epsom seat, thus ensuring Act remained in Parliament. He will use his first speech of the year, today in Auckland, to tell Dr Brash to end speculation over his leadership before it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Mr Hide will advise Dr Brash to put his leadership on the line during the National caucus meeting next Tuesday and demand the MPs destabilising his leadership "put up or shut up".

Mr Hide will recommend Dr Brash ask the National Party president and the party's head office to conduct a ballot of all party members to test their support for his leadership.

Mr Hide believes Dr Brash should follow former National leader Sir Robert Muldoon's tactic, when he was confronted with a coup attempt in 1980, of reaching beyond his caucus and enlisting the help of supporters around the country to hang on to his job.

National's leadership has been at the centre of speculation that finance spokesman John Key will succeed Dr Brash well before the next election.

Act said yesterday the two candidates for the position of party president were Hamilton businessman Garry Mallett and Hawkes Bay farmer John Ormond. The new Act president, chosen via a postal ballot of members, will take over when long-serving Catherine Judd retires in March.