ACT leader insists he's no bully

BY JOHN HARTEVELT

ACT Party leader Rodney Hide admits he "can be quite forceful" but he insists he is no bully.

Hide has continued damage control at parliament today after a horror week for the Government's key support party.

On Monday, Hide's deputy, Heather Roy, was rolled after a successful challenge by John Boscawen.

Yesterday an explosive leaked document revealed bitter divisions between the party's leader Rodney Hide and his former deputy, Heather Roy.

They labelled Hide as "intimidating" and a "a bully" with "a vendetta" against Roy.

''ACT sees team leadership as primitive combat, with a need to destroy a colleague's reputation to justify an otherwise inexplicable decision," the notes say.

Hide today said he thought the notes were "untrue and unfair" but he would forgive Roy and allow her to stay on with the party.

''There is no doubt that I can be quite forceful and I can remember one meeting where I was quite strong with Heather," Hide said.

"And that's the nature of politics ... [but] I'm certainly no bully and everyone who knows me knows that I'm not.''

Prime Minister John Key today said ACT's inner turmoil would not lead to an early election.

Hide said he had only read the first 30 pages of Roy's 82-page dossier - "that was enough for me," he said.

''I've been around, and I've been knocked around before, people have said all sorts of things about me," Hide said.

Roy, however, was "fragile and upset" and she was "mortified" that the dossier had been leaked.

''I actually think Heather is a very good person and has been a very good MP. I think that she's got off track as a Minister, sadly. And I believe we can get her back on track and it's my responsibility to ensure that."

The party's internal crisis deepened this morning with the veteran MP and party founder Sir Roger Douglas signalling he may not seek re-election next year.

"My position is, I've got 15 months and I've got to decide some time next year whether I stay on. If I don't stay on, it's not because I'm not committed, it will be a decision that, hey, I'm 73, is this the right thing for me to be doing at 73?," Sir Roger said.

His party had "taken a hit" over the affair.

"Obviously, this hurts the ACT brand, and if the ACT brand is hurt then Rodney's brand is hurt," Sir Roger said.

"And we can't deny that because actually accepting that collectively we've done that is the best starting point - acknowledge where you are and then do something about it."

Sir Roger said the party had to show it was stable.

"I don't know where we're at," he said.

"What we need to do is show that we're a hell of a lot better than that. And to do that, we need to get our strategy right, we need to get over-riding principles understood and then we need to move forward together.

"I guess we haven't necessarily shown we've been capable of that. I'm not blaming anyone for that. When these things happen, it's no one individuals fault. Collectively, we've got to take responsibility."

Mr Hide said he did not believe Sir Roger was planning an exit: ''He seems quite happy."

Roy fronted for broadcast media last night but bailed out of agreed interviews with print media.

She is refusing to talk today, turning away requests for an interview.

Sir Roger said he believed Roy intended staying on.

She had done the right thing by fronting for some interviews.

"We had a caucus yesterday and I think there is a genuine desire to move forward together," he said.

"I can say that to you, but frankly, you're not going to acknowledge that until you see it in practice. ... You prove that by what you do and there is a determination to do that. How well we can execute that, that's what we'll be judged on."

"A NASTY PARTY, COMPRISED OF BULLIES"

Highlights from Heather Roy's leaked caucus notes:

* Replacing Roy would be "likely to be perceived by most as the bullying actions of white middle-aged men against women in leadership. Leading inevitably to a drop in ACT's public favour, a bad result in the election and quite possibly the end of ACT in Parliament altogether.''

*Roy was concerned that Hide would take a classified defence paper away and copy it. "His purpose for wanting the document was to use it in a witch-hunt against me.''

* The notes also describe ''two very confrontational meetings with Rodney Hide'' after which Mrs Roy decided she would not meet with him alone again. ''He routinely tries to bully and intimidate me ... There was an instance recently where he was extremely angry at my staff, characterised by shouting abuse in offices and also as he stormed up and down the corridor.''

* ''At many of the meetings we have had, he has indicated that I am not performing to the level he would expect of the Deputy Leader of a party. His tone during these discussions is menacing.''

* The notes say that Mr Hide ''interfered'' in Roy's Associate Defence Minister role and asked for Roy to be removed.

''It is very difficult for me to work when my own leader is determined to undermine me in this way and it is very clear to me that he has used others to further this agenda.''

* They also describe ACT as a ''nasty party, comprised of bullies'' and that Mr Hide had ''a vendetta'' against Mrs Roy.

''This Caucus has allowed itself to be hijacked by lies and innuendo,'' the notes say. ''ACT sees team leadership as primitive combat, with a need to destroy a colleague's reputation to justify an otherwise inexplicable decision.''

- with MICHAEL FIELD