24 September 2007

Election politics in Queanbeyan

| sepi
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Politics in Queanbeyan is going to be interesting this year.

Labor candidate Mike Kelly’s meet the people evening last week has been in the news a bit, after some Liberal shenanigans. Sitting member Gary Nairn’s adviser Mr Phelps attended the meeting and asked a series of antagonistic questions, without identifying himself as a political staffer.

Phelps was shouting and interrupting the meeting with questions about Iraq. Retired Colonel Mike Kelly has said that elements of the Iraq war were a mistake in hindsight. Phelps branded him a hypocrite for being part of something he didn’t agree with, and compared Kelly several times to a Nazi war criminal. On radio he sounded like a frothing at the mouth nutter – audible groans could be heard from the rest of the audience when he wouldn’t give up.

Mike Kelly coped well with the questions, calmly explaining international law as it relates to soldiers. So ultimately the stunt backfired.

Media attention has criticised Phelps for not revealing that he worked for Gary Nairn. And for saying that he was there as a private citizen, but then issuing an official press release continuing the debate. But there’s another question here – if Phelps is so anti-war that he thinks Mike Kelly should have become a deserter, why does he himself continue to work for the Liberal government who actually sent Australia into this war to begin with?

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i meant ‘fondly’.

damn fingres

i think the era of nazism causing revulsion is coming to an end as te yoof of today just dont really know about it.

example:

today one of the tech staff walked past me – he was wearing all black. i said ‘gee you look like a storm trooper’ he replied ‘dont they wear all white?’

as peopel who witnessed the evils of nazism firsthand die off, so will the sense of evil.

napoleon was a genocidal maniac as well, these days hes a findly remembered military genius.

Hey Thumper, perhaps the Howard/Stalin comparison isn’t so wrong.

After all, Stalin is Russian for “Man of Steel”.

Absent Diane9:34 am 25 Sep 07

hehe lib staffers are funny

I wish I’d seen it on telly. I heard it on radio and Phelps sounded like a full nutter, screaming and refusing to let Mike Kelly answer. I thought they were playing it for the news as an example of someone freaking out – I was amazed when Phelps turned out to be working for Nairn.

It is kind of like the head of Woolworths marketing turning up to a meeting about Coles and criticising the food, without admitting they work for the opposition.

And didn’t he think they’d notice who he was – he certainly drew attention to himself. He should have got a stooge to ask teh questions – although I”m not surprised he couldn’t find anyone who’d do it.

Vote for the man with the Mo’ in Moevember!

did anyone see the footage of the incident? Nairn’s guy was screaming at Kelly, and when Kelly tried to answer him, he screamed him down. Kelly didn’t try to out-scream him, he just watched him, sadly, wondering what it was all about.

I changed my electoral enrolment, so I can vote Nairn out. he has to go. This is just confirming it. he lacks decency. In Queanbeyan, someone has been sticking rude messages about him on his electoral office after-hours.
Kelly seems like a decent bloke, I’ll vote for him.

Whatever the politics of it, it’s totally out of order to compare someone to a nazi war criminal. Nairn’s dikhead member of staff needs to have a good cup of tea and a lie down.

Groan: C(H)owards way.

Pandy, it was through a window at 20,000 feet. Any foos can answer you that one…

Badda Boom.

Because if it is your day job to dig up dirt on the opposition member, then noone with any sense takes you seriously when you claim to be slinging dirt as a ‘local concerned citizen’.

Also, the meeting (I think) was about meeting Mike Kelly, and discussing Queanbeyan issues. Noisy roads and the like – not Iraq and the Nazis.

Natalie Colbert: Liberal candidate for the Federal elections. Formerly serving in the airforce. What is her view on the war in Iraq?

‘Once you become a political staffer you can’t really participate in political events in your own electorate as a simple resident.’

why ?

‘And if he genuinely holds these anti-war beliefs (which I doubt), then why is he working for the liberal govt?’

as opposed to all those resignations from the ALP whenever lefty topic de jeure is caved in on.

ever heard about inside tent pissing out ?

his questions are legitimate, if distastefully worded.

havent you got a noisy road to complain about somewhere ?

Once you become a political staffer you can’t really participate in political events in your own electorate as a simple resident.

And if he genuinely holds these anti-war beliefs (which I doubt), then why is he working for the liberal govt?

He is trying to have his cake and eat it too, and at the least it shows very poor judgement.

he is actually a resident of the electorate.

despite his actions, he is entitled to ask any cadidate any question he likes.

are you proposing we have the florida uni taser squad on hand for people who ask difficult questions seepi ?

you may not like his politics but he is entitled to ask the questions.

Sounds like this Phelpsy chappie is a bit worried about his cosy little job doesn’t it?

VYBerlinaV8 now_with_added grunt8:32 am 24 Sep 07

Shouting and mud slinging achieves zero in my opinion. How about simply stating your policies and letting the people you are supposed to be representing decide what they want?

/naivety_mode_off

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