6 June 2008

Jon being considered for the Diplomatic Corps? I doubt it...

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I thought this (unattributed and unverified) rumour from yesterday’s Crikey could do with a wider airing:

“The chief minister of the ACT, Jon Stanhope, is out of favour with the federal government over his push for gay legislation (sic). Talk is he was favoured for a diplomatic posting until he ruffled feathers (again) with his pro-gay rights stance. He is now saying publicly he is staying around for the long haul but privately scurrying for an assignment that will allow him to leave ACT politics with dignity. ACT Labor insiders concede his government is on the nose and very likely to lose the next election in November.”

I don’t know about you, gentle reader, but I find the idea that Our Jon was ever in favour enough with Federal Labor to score a diplomatic post pretty unlikely. The rest is pretty much all well-known (a graceful exit in the style of Carr, Bracks and Beattie was always on the cards within the next couple of years), though I still find claims of Labor being likely to lose the next election a trifle over-egged. A return to minority government seems a lot more likely.

Give Jon Stanhope a diplomatic posting?

  • Hang on, I want to run him out of office first.
    (42%, 112 Votes)
  • Please no Jon, Don't go!
    (11%, 30 Votes)
  • Anything to get him out of here.
    (25%, 68 Votes)
  • Unleash the angry voice and the spiky hair upon the infidels!
    (22%, 59 Votes)

Total Voters: 269

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How quickly we forget. Jon is the only CM to take the coroner to court re her decision, cost us a couple of mil that the fire survivors could have had, claim that the schools are too numerous, lets cut them back, and then build super schools, far more costly to run than the many schools we had, claim he had no idea re the macarthur power station, then admit it was better than the hume site.

Kate carnell would have gone after the fires.

as for the others, gallagher manages to avoid potential disasters through portfolio shuffles, hargreaves gets let off after being caught dui, Barr seems to think he is the CM already.

I want a strong focus for canberra, but it would be better as a council, not a LG.

the election will either cleanse the assembly or not. if not, it may be time to move on.

It’s not Liz’s birthday either.

NickD: Yeah, that’s why I put “unattributed and unverified” right up the top there – and expressed my severe doubts about it further in the article. I did think it might spark off some interesting discussion, though. Oh yeah, and I reckon Guy Rundle and Charles Richardson are worth the price of admission alone.

Andrew Barr? He’s in today’s CT saying we should re-name the queen’s birthday weekend Kids’ Weekend,

Perhaps he’s pointing out that it isn’t his birthday?

Andrew Barr? He’s in today’s CT saying we should re-name the queen’s birthday weekend Kids’ Weekend, and honour children. Fark me. This is more scraping and appeasment of Working Families. From what I can see, every day is Worship Kids Day.

That said, he has potential, if he’d tone down the Rudd-style populist window-dressing politics.

And as for Hargreaves, at a roadworks site somewhere, there’s a STOP/SLOW sign waiting for him to lean against it.

Wow – I didn’t realise so many people had it in for poor old Katy.

I think she is a bit wishy washy, but a nice person, and quite ‘real’ – people like that.

And her dress sense and looks (which I think are fine) should have nothing to do with it. Bill Stefaniak is no oil painting, and noone ever mentions that.

disenfranchised11:02 am 08 Jun 08

Stanhope’s days are numbered. They need to find a way to move him on. The real emerging talent in the Labor Party is Andrew Barr. If they are smart they will make him Leader. He is respected. He is hard working, smart and honourable. The community is grown up enough to handle the fact that he is gay. Unfortunately, thanks to the second rate journos at the Canberra Times and in the media generally, Gallagher has been able to develop an image as an up and coming leader and will get the nod first. That is a real pity. She has been allowed to get away with mediocrity for years. She will be formidable purely because of her image. What is also important is that the disgraceful Minister Hargreaves should be given his marching orders ASAP. We are all diminished by him holding Minister rank.

I’ve had no respect for Katy Gallagher since I heard her on the radio a year or so ago, interviewed on a drugs issue:

“I’d have to consult with the drug-using community to get their views before I made a decision”.

By all means, find out what drug users think, but she shouldn’t describe a “drug-using community” . They’re not a valid community stakeholder group! What a bizarre way to view society. Does the minister for justice consult with criminals and refer to the ‘criminal community’?

I’m still aghast at the amount of alcohol required to impregnate katy g, and the ability of the semen to swim in the correct direction under said circumstances. Hats off to that enigma of a man.

Kevin.B.Wilson summes her up nicely with the term supermegafugly with a busted-twisted-ass.

Is Katy Gallagher the one who had a baby and has had Placenta Brain ever since?

So Jon Boy wants the extra money he can get from the original (and totally sensible, non confrontational) site.

We really should be grateful. He’s only doing it to better the citizens of the ACT. Just imagine the Arboretums, mountain bike race tracks, public artworks and Al Grasby statues we will get with the 40 or so mill he reckons the proper site is worth.

Go Jon, go.

She’d have to clean her teeth, dress less like she’s slept in her clothes and comb her hair. From what we’ve seen since she joined the Assembly that’s not likely

Sepi, if lying Jon did resign, they are left with NO ONE competent at all. Perhaps then the ACT could be resumed by the Feds??? No one wanted self govt anyway, and what a nightmare it has proved to be.

Katy G would be a disaster – Please God, No-o-o-o-o! She muddles and flails around uselessly and f’s things up – then lets the next minister take the flak. Eg. Health (corbell had to cop flak over wait lists and mental health), Education (barr was landed with the stupid school closures and unnecessary, useless school amalgamations). The only thing Miss Katy is good at, is getting OUT just before the sh*t hits the fan.

Hm. I guess this means we can expect to see her want to ‘spend more time with the family’ shortly!

Writing as a Crikey subscriber, the ‘tips and rumours’ section of the daily email, which is where this appeared, is entirely unreliable. The only thing I’ve seen in it which rang true was the ‘revelation’ that a minister had asked for maps to be included in the events briefs prepared by her department, which is hardly hot gossip given that maps are a standard part of APS evemts briefs. I’m not renewing my subscription.

Didn’t Kate Carnell have to resign after being caught out lying about something (something at Bruce Stadium?).

I can’t believe noone seems to be that fussed about the fact that Jon has openly lied about this.

Sepi – golly. A politician who lies – never seen one of them before. I must say that I found it difficult from the outset to think that the site chosen would be one that was NOT acceptable to the ACT Government. It made no difference to my views about either the site or the Chief Minister.

(OK. I’ve been reading a Raimon Gaita article tht touches on political dishonesty).

disenfranchised3:08 pm 07 Jun 08

Jon leaving would be a disaster for the ACT Liberal Party. He has reached his use by date in the community and a backlash can be expected. Independents will fare well, with a slight trickle to the Libs. If he went before the election Katie Gallagher would take over. She would be a very popular leader. People at the Assembly and in the ACT Public Service know she is lazy, not that smart and plays on the cutesy-pie image. She has been working part-time for years. Unfortunately in the community and in the uninformed media she has a positive image that would be difficult to counteract.

Jon has just been caught out lying about the Macarthur power plant.

He has been saying the location was between ACTEW and ACTPLA and govt were totally hands off, in order to avoid corruption.

Yet it has come out in today’s paper that he in fact chose the Macarthur horsepaddocks site, in preference to the recommended site in Hume, himself. And then blatantly lied about it.

Apparently he wanted to retain the land in Hume, which was more valuable. I am not a big fan of Jon, but I thought he was a decent person with some funny ideas, and a bit stubborn about ever changing his mind or compromising.

But now he just looks like a crooked politician. He may not be so suited to the UN after all.

Weaselburger8:28 am 07 Jun 08

I hear that New York has just legalised gay Marrage. that would be a good excuse to send him over there as a representitave and he’ll be as far away from here as possible.

I don’t think Comrade has done that bad a job, sure he’s closed some schools but he’s also done some good work too.

Anyway, it’s not like there’s any alternatives – who else would you prefer at the helm of our glorious territory? and why??

I’d like to clarify that although I wrote the article, the poll was added by an editor.

Not sure of the accuracy of this, but I heard from a friend who works with a senior ALP adviser up on the Hill, that Stanhope’s high favourability has taken a massive hammering since the Libs put in Zed as Leader and they started their ad campaign.

Supposedly this Adviser is high up in local Labor and is rather indiscreetly going around the factions maneourvouring to get rid of Stanhope and transition in Katy Gallagher, similar to the Beattie handover to Bligh in Queensland.

The Right faction is also working hard to make it Andrew Barr who gets the handover.

If the polling numbers continue to go south for Stanhope, he will be shown the door from within as they have all had enough of him, but have relied on him in the past to stay in Govt.

It is a pity the Canberra Times doesn’t do regular political polls like the other State newspapers.

There was a story in the weekend papers about the discovery of a Brazilian tribe who have never had contact with ‘civilized’ society. The perfect posting for our Jon!

Two hours with him, and I’ll bet they move deeper into the jungle.

.

VicePope said :

I tried to think of other diplomatic postings for others in the Assembly. The absence of Australian diplomatic relations with Hell has been a problem.

POOLROOM!

It would be no secret to others that I think Stanhope is about the best of a very poor lot. I think he would do wonders with a posting into the Pacific region – his pragmatism would pay off. But that would leave the ALP without any leader at all.

I tried to think of other diplomatic postings for others in the Assembly. The absence of Australian diplomatic relations with Hell has been a problem. As well, no-one would choose to employ them anyway, in any capacity. But, perhaps Ms Foskey could follow her unique political career with a posting to Fantasyland. Zed would have to go to Zimbabwe or some other hopeless waste site starting with Z. Pratt to Serbia, for obvious reasons. Hargreaves to anywhere they don’t have drink-driving laws. Dunne and Burke to Iraq and Afghanistan, with a weapons subsidy to the insurgents and the Taliban. Mick Gentleman to Mustang, because he probably thinks it’s a car. So many of the others would be well-placed in Brazil, with the nuts.

Maybe he could be Governor of Tasmania… though come to think of it, that is just not far enough away from Canberra – yep Harare or Iraq!

If he was to become a diplomat he might have to go to church services that commemorate things. As he doesn’t do that in the ACT (except Grasby’s funeral) its fair to say that this is one of the many reason he would be a hopeless diplomat.

And before anyone thinks this is an argument about religion its not. Heads of Government attend memorial services etc as part of their job irrespective of their own personal beliefs. It says something when a Federal Minister, a PM and a Governor-General can attend particular services together in Canberra but the Comrade will open a glass blowing studio in Kingston instead and send Katie (‘no dress sense unless you count just got out of bed as a look’) Gallagher in his stead

care factor = -1

someoneincanb2:29 pm 05 Jun 08

Crikey – does that mean all the grandiose thought that went into arboretum and it won’t have any international species?

Stanhope would not make a good diplomat.

If anyone has seen him in public you’d note that he is very uncomfortable with socialising and hob-knobbing. He has no social skills!

Also, although he has all these grandiose plans and ideas he is not worldly.

I don’t think labour will get a thrashing at the polls either. the alternatives are just not there yet.

I think we might get one of those wierdo govts like we used to have – full of independants and cobbled together groups. Mostly they used to get bogged down in discussion, and never did much, but that could hardly be worse than what we’ve got now.

The side menu ones don’t work for me either, but the in-thread voting works fine.

These polls never seem to work for me but I would vote for the top one. I’m sick of seeing his mug.

Or butler to the Iraqi Ambassador

neanderthalsis12:35 pm 05 Jun 08

I think Our Jon would be well suited to a diplomatic posting. I would suggest Acting Deputy-Assistant Administration Officer (grade 1) at the Harare High Commission.

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