Labour warned on complacency

By JOHN ARMSTRONG

Labour president Mike Williams has warned the party to be wary of poll-driven complacency, saying a low voter turnout on election day would be a disaster.

"Our very success is our enemy," he told Labour's election-year congress in Wellington last night.

In last year's British election, the turnout had been as low as 20 per cent in some safe Labour electorates.

"If this were to happen in the MMP environment where every party vote counts, it would be a disaster for our party.

"We must do the basics of enrolment, campaigning and election-day organisation better than ever."

Noting that the congress marked the beginning of Labour's election campaign, Mr Williams said voter confusion was another enemy.

Research showed that many voters were still unaware of the primacy of the party vote.

"The way to get the National Party back in power through the back door is to split your vote."

Labour's third enemy was the politics of prejudice.

"We have already seen desperate politicians on the right-wing fringe grasping into the darker side of human nature for the kinds of issues that might give them sustenance."

Act leader Richard Prebble - desperate to avoid political oblivion - was clearly inspired by the success of Jean-Marie Le Pen in the recent French presidential election and had suddenly discovered immigrants, said Mr Williams.

"He forgets that we are all immigrants in this country, whether we arrived in a waka, a ship or a 747.

"Though it may amuse us to think of a mini Le Pen - perhaps Richard Le Pencil - in our midst, we must always stand ready to vigorously defend the tolerance and openness that has served this party and this country so well."

A large chunk of the congress sessions in Wellington's Queen's Wharf Events Centre involve candidate training and campaigning techniques for the election.

Prime Minister Helen Clark addresses the congress this afternoon before she leaves to attend East Timor's independence celebrations.

The deputy leader and Finance Minister Michael Cullen will speak at the close of the congress tomorrow.