Labor and Libs on the nose to local Business

IN the CT Pratt said he had no idea what the meeting was about til it started.

I’d love to have been a fly on the wall.

sorry about the missed letters here and there – laptop keyboard giving up the ghost

They’ve probably been planning to do it for the last year and half.
Kent and Mulchay had a falling out around the time of the AGM last year – while Mulchay is no longer involved, Kent still has people loyal to him. To suggest that someone who was party president for that long instantly loses every single crony contact they’ve made over that time when the resign is hopelessly naive.

It is indeed interesting that Smyth, Pratt and Burke have done this – I suppose we’ll see – it’s an odd move given that they’re in a MUCH better position now then they were a year ago.
I have no bloody idea why.

They have no faith in the liberals winning majority government… it’s impossible to do in the ACT – so it’s hardly a surprise.
Of course, any independents they back will be supporting a Liberal minority government.
I mean, it looks bad in the media right now and everything, but in practicality the Liberals will still win at least 6 seats in the assembly come election time(could lose one in Fraser, but thats it – you can only fold a piece of paper so many times), so if the three independents backed here get through, we have liberal minority government, and an end to the Stanhope Regime.

Maybe they too will split from the party come election time. Could we see a coalition of conservative independantsor even a new conservative force on the local scene?

Dickromate, the only problem with your argument is that Kent and Mulchay are no longer involved with the Liberals. I could understand if Paddy Murphy did this before they left BUT they have done this post-Mulchay and Kent. So it is obvious that this business group have no faith in the ACT Liberals.

Also, as an obvious Liberal, what is your stance on Smyth, the Pratt and the Burke attending the launch of a group who will challenge the Liberals at the next poll?

Indeed, says it all.

And after fires, broadband taxes, running a deficit through the country’s biggest ever housing boom, 5 star jails, activist judges, bankrupt schools and hospitals, and the list goes on and on, they will vote for them again.

@Jazz – from what I understand, as the story goes, its because in Canberra people vote by first engaging their heads and making a decision, instead of turning on the I’ll just show up on the day and the first person to give me a flyer gets my vote reasoning that the rest of the country apparently does.

Maybe it’s the higher than average education level Jazz 🙂

I’ve always wondered what it is exactly that makes this a ‘labor’ town.

I think we self perpetrate the myth by pretending that the number of public servants living in canberra are better off under a labor govt than liberal.

IMO it really makes no difference.

Well Crickey – you’re missing the fact that this is coming about because of Gary Kent and Richard Mulchay fucking up the party and driving away ACT businesses.
On the comment that Mulchay should have waited –
NO. This is -because- of Mulchay, Jim Murphy will make damn sure Mulchay doesn’t see a single cent.
Mulchay’s fate is sealed.

The really amusing thing is that this makes a liberal government that much MORE likely.

The Liberals NEVER held more then 7 seats in the assembly. For fucks sake, this is Canberra, the only time the liberals ever got enough of the vote in any part of this city to “win” government was in the 1995 Canberra by-election, when the previous sitting member had been stood down due to corruption. (and in 1996, the seat went back to labor) – I realize that was federal and this is local, but it’s a pretty clear indication as to how much of a labor town this is.
The only way for liberals to hold government has always been to gain the support of Liberal-leaning independents.

Crikey,
Perhaps their actions are an example of a more ‘liberal’ definition of the terms ‘oxymoron’ and ‘hypocricy’?

Let me get this straight. Liberal’s Smyth, Pratt and Burke attend the launch of a new pro-business political organisation that will fund and support business candidates against the Liberals at the next election.

So after a sneaky campaign by Smyth, Pratt and Burke to have Richard Mulcahy sacked form the Liberal Party for “disloyalty” – Zed and the party think it is fine for Smyth, Pratt and Burke to attend this launch.

What am I missing here?

“Stephen Byron should be installed as leader of ACT Liberals, immediately.”

Please tell me you’re joking, Ralph!

We’ve had a Raider as an MLA already – worst MLA ever. And Mal Meniga lasted as long as his first radio interview and then gave up mid sentence.

Ricahrd Mulcahy should have waited a bit longer for his dummy spit – he could have quietly joined ths splinter group.

Skids,
I was thinking more of disenfranchised whineing propellerhead (i.e. 99% of the commenters here)…

Mr Iglesias,
Not at all, there are just a few readers who take delight in correcting syntax, so just sparing them the need to think this early on a Thursday!

But if Troy does run in Molonglo, he’s more visible and approachable (possibly even more human, but he -is- a Lib, so its up for further analysis) than whoever is in now.

S4anta, isn’t the RiotACT Candidate generally Troy Williams?

The root webpage http://www.troywilliams.com.au redirects back to his Federal Liberal candidacy, but he hasn’t taken down the http://troywilliams.com.au/index.html page where he says he’s an ACT Lib dreamer.

So he seems at least “brand-loyal” on the Liberals, but maybe he’s being pragmatic and sees the ACT Liberal implosion as something to just publicly stay quiet and not quit the day job.

> likely to loose support

that would be “lose”.

They can’t be the Liberal Party, the font’s different.

S4anta are you some sort of closet English teacher?

“we should as a collective, come close to installing some poor prick into the Assembly.”

bitchin’ editing skills y’all! Now I am off to play the banjo.

I think its time for a RiotACter to have a crack, and we can see just exactly what haovc can be created via a viral voting campaign. I am sure with this odd-ball hare and clark system we should a collective come close to installing some poor prick into the Assembly.

New blood is needed in the Liberal party if they want to get anywhere.

And seriously, if they can’t win this one they should all resign.

I’m hoping Troy Williams can bring a bit of sanity into their closed little nepotistic shop.

Stephen Byron should be installed as leader of ACT Liberals, immediately.

Good luck to them, i think the only they will achieve is dividing the Liberal vote and derailing whatever chances they had of actually attempting to muster the vote to provide a coherent and alternative government for the ACT, as opposed to Commandant Stanhope and his uniformed winged monkeys.

Watched the WIN report on this. The Assembly Libs may like to revisit the footage, as it shows a very unglamorous bunch of noodles waddling like penguins towards their meeting place.

Not the image a potential Gov would like to promote, I’m sure.

The Canberra Business Club, a.k.a. I Can’t Believe It’s Not The Liberal Party.

(no, really, I can’t. The smell, the aftertaste… it’s all there.)

I reckon we should get a list of everyone who should be an independent MLA in the assembly.

I know who I’d vote for –

1. Terry Snow. Overlord.

2. Tim The Yowie Man. So he can conduct an exorcism of the assembly building.

3. Todd Carney. Because you gotta have a Raiders player in there somehow

4. Amber Westin. Canberra’s favourite mother.

5. Bob Winnell from Village Building Company. So Terry Snow has someone to shout at.

6. Jim Murphy. So he can give a free magnum to anyone who votes for him.

Anyone else?

“Business leaders are planning to bankroll independent candidates…”

I think that we really need to carefully assess the definition of ‘Independent’ Someone being bankrolled by any group (to my mind), puts them outside the definition of the word.