Broken circle

"The Fourth Labour Government self-destructed because it failed to achieve a compromise between traditional social values and hard-headed economic survival. By 1984 the First Lanour Governments achievement in caring for New Zealanders from "the cradle to the grave" had withered in the face of the country's diminishing ability to pay. The inner circle of the Fourth Labour Government saw no option but to risk everything on fundamental social and economic restructuring. Under this pressure, working relationships and old friendships were strained beyond breaking point. As the inner circle disintegrated, the outer circle of the party membership, frustrated by the reality that the Government had begun to rule by decree than through consultation, began to fall away."--Back cover.