Whatever was to be gained from his unfortunate emission isn't clear. But motives have never been Chairman Jim's strong point. This is what the Book of Trev has to say about Jim Anderton:
"I never liked Jim Anderton. I don't trust Jim Anderton and he feels the same way towards me. He was the only member of the panel opposing my nomination as an electorate candidate, and he fought very hard against it. Gordon Brown later told me that he thought I was too clever by half for the Labour Party. I don't know why being clever should disentitle one to be a Member of Parliament, but Anderton certainly was very strong in his opposition.
I had on a previous occasion supported Anderton in a debate in the Labour Party Conference when he had moved to stop the Union card vote. Although I said in my speech to second his motion that I had a degree in Law and represented the Palmerston North Women's Branch at this particular conference, I only got one vote and one white card.
There was Ernie Hemmingson, Secretary for the Hotel Workers' Union. Not a very bright person to say the least of it. He was sitting down with a deck of 54 votes; card votes. I told the audience that in any other meeting of card players, he would be thrown out for having too many in the pack. Anderton moved that the Unions' vote be restricted and I seconded him. But of course the card vote manifested itself and the motion was lost.
Anderton went off in high dudgeon and hid himself, while I went to the Pier Hotel with the union delegates and had a thoroughly good evening sharing their booze and arguing with them about the merits of Union support of the Labour Party. I pointed out to them that in fact they were a millstone around our necks and that the average member of the public thought that a trade unionist was just about as bad as a traffic cop or a lawyer.
That is, if they were hidden behind the scenes and supported us, we would have more chance of coming to power and more chance of putting in the policies that they had supported. However, it is in the nature of politics that people want to be seen doing political things rather than manipulating behind the scenes. There was no way the unions were not going to have their upfront say at the Labour Party Conferences.
I repeat, it was much to the detriment of the potential success of the party at the polls. At any rate that night, despite Anderton's opposition and despite the fact that Joe Walding's own son-in-law was standing against me for selection, I became the candidate for Palmerston North."
