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Putting these here to avoid clogging up the List thread with OTL stuff. Here are some of the more interesting micro-party political careers that NZ has seen.
Electoral History of Tom Weal
1963: Social Credit candidate for Mount Albert
1963: Warren Freer (Labour) def. Jeffrey Lloyd Reid (National), Tom Weal (Social Credit), Walter Ellis Christie (Liberal)
1966: Social Credit candidate for Mount Albert
1966: Warren Freer (Labour) def. Tom Hibbert (National), Tom Weal (Social Credit)
1968: Social Credit candidate for Hutt
1968: Trevor Young (Labour) def. John Kennedy-Good (National), Tom Weal (Social Credit), N. G. Ursin (Independent)
1969: Social Credit candidate for Mount Albert
1969: Warren Freer (Labour) def. Gavin Downie (National), Tom Weal (Social Credit)
1970-1972: Deputy Leader of the Social Credit Political League
1970 def: Unopposed, opponent walked out
1972 def: Walked out of conference, replaced by Les Hunter
1972-1973: Deputy Leader of the New Democratic Party
1972 def: Unopposed
1972: New Democratic candidate for Raglan
1972: Douglas Carter (National) def. A. J. Smith (Labour), T. A. Wheeler (Social Credit), Tom Weal (New Democratic), R. H. T. Cameron (Liberal Reform)
1973-1978: Leader of the Christian Democratic Union
1975: Christian Democrat candidate for Auckland Central
1975: Richard Prebble (Labour) def. Murray McCully (National), Reg Clough (Values), Allan Donovan (Social Credit), Tom Weal (Christian Democrat), Brigid Mulrennan (Socialist Action), Peter Blakeborough (Liberal), Barry Shaw (Independent Labour (Tenants’ Rights))
1978: Christian Democratic Union candidate for Remuera
1978: Allan Highet (National) def. Lee Goffin (Labour), Eddie Hagen (Social Credit), Jeanette Fitzsimons (Values), Tom Weal (Christian Democratic Union), Mrs P. S. Crowther (Right to Life)
Tom Weal was a highly strung Social Credit figure closely allied to John O'Brien (basically the Real Caouette of NZ Social Credit but much, much less electorally successful). He was elected Deputy Leader at the dramatic 1970 Conference - technically against a supporter of Vernon Cracknell who walked out when Cracknell himself judged that he was unlikely to be re-elected as Leader. O'Brien followed Cracknell as Leader and attracted a lot of attention by shooting his mouth off about various things. However, this quickly made him unpopular among his support base. Weal was the weaker half of the leadership team and spent most of the next couple of years on an expensive and ultimately pointless tour of the UK, trying to mobilise opposition to the EEC and thereby save NZ agriculture.
As the O'Brienites became more embattled, Weal returned to NZ and immediately started working against his boss, leaking to the press that he was about to resign as Leader. However, he remained loyal enough to walk out of the 1972 Conference along with O'Brien when it looked deeply unlikely that the pair would be re-elected. Whereas Cracknell's faction had simply given up, O'Brien and Weal formed a New Democratic Party out of the Douglasite Old Guard of Social Credit, with whom they had made a marriage of convenience previously. Most of the anti-semites removed themselves from Social Credit through this split - however, there weren't many anyway: Weal's hitherto apolitical Dad was even drafted in as a candidate.
The NDP performed woefully at the election and Weal went off to do his own thing. He went back to the UK to campaign in the EEC referendum (there is video evidence of him addressing a factory meeting in Liverpool!) and started his own Christian Democratic party - although it is not clear whether he ever attracted anyone else to his party.
Electoral History of Tom Weal
1963: Social Credit candidate for Mount Albert
1963: Warren Freer (Labour) def. Jeffrey Lloyd Reid (National), Tom Weal (Social Credit), Walter Ellis Christie (Liberal)
1966: Social Credit candidate for Mount Albert
1966: Warren Freer (Labour) def. Tom Hibbert (National), Tom Weal (Social Credit)
1968: Social Credit candidate for Hutt
1968: Trevor Young (Labour) def. John Kennedy-Good (National), Tom Weal (Social Credit), N. G. Ursin (Independent)
1969: Social Credit candidate for Mount Albert
1969: Warren Freer (Labour) def. Gavin Downie (National), Tom Weal (Social Credit)
1970-1972: Deputy Leader of the Social Credit Political League
1970 def: Unopposed, opponent walked out
1972 def: Walked out of conference, replaced by Les Hunter
1972-1973: Deputy Leader of the New Democratic Party
1972 def: Unopposed
1972: New Democratic candidate for Raglan
1972: Douglas Carter (National) def. A. J. Smith (Labour), T. A. Wheeler (Social Credit), Tom Weal (New Democratic), R. H. T. Cameron (Liberal Reform)
1973-1978: Leader of the Christian Democratic Union
1975: Christian Democrat candidate for Auckland Central
1975: Richard Prebble (Labour) def. Murray McCully (National), Reg Clough (Values), Allan Donovan (Social Credit), Tom Weal (Christian Democrat), Brigid Mulrennan (Socialist Action), Peter Blakeborough (Liberal), Barry Shaw (Independent Labour (Tenants’ Rights))
1978: Christian Democratic Union candidate for Remuera
1978: Allan Highet (National) def. Lee Goffin (Labour), Eddie Hagen (Social Credit), Jeanette Fitzsimons (Values), Tom Weal (Christian Democratic Union), Mrs P. S. Crowther (Right to Life)
Tom Weal was a highly strung Social Credit figure closely allied to John O'Brien (basically the Real Caouette of NZ Social Credit but much, much less electorally successful). He was elected Deputy Leader at the dramatic 1970 Conference - technically against a supporter of Vernon Cracknell who walked out when Cracknell himself judged that he was unlikely to be re-elected as Leader. O'Brien followed Cracknell as Leader and attracted a lot of attention by shooting his mouth off about various things. However, this quickly made him unpopular among his support base. Weal was the weaker half of the leadership team and spent most of the next couple of years on an expensive and ultimately pointless tour of the UK, trying to mobilise opposition to the EEC and thereby save NZ agriculture.
As the O'Brienites became more embattled, Weal returned to NZ and immediately started working against his boss, leaking to the press that he was about to resign as Leader. However, he remained loyal enough to walk out of the 1972 Conference along with O'Brien when it looked deeply unlikely that the pair would be re-elected. Whereas Cracknell's faction had simply given up, O'Brien and Weal formed a New Democratic Party out of the Douglasite Old Guard of Social Credit, with whom they had made a marriage of convenience previously. Most of the anti-semites removed themselves from Social Credit through this split - however, there weren't many anyway: Weal's hitherto apolitical Dad was even drafted in as a candidate.
The NDP performed woefully at the election and Weal went off to do his own thing. He went back to the UK to campaign in the EEC referendum (there is video evidence of him addressing a factory meeting in Liverpool!) and started his own Christian Democratic party - although it is not clear whether he ever attracted anyone else to his party.