28 February 2008

Labor and Libs on the nose to local Business

| neanderthalsis
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Well the Canberra Times and the ABC have the story, so it must be true. A new ACT group, the Canberra Business Club, will bankroll Independant candidates at the next Shire Council (oops, Territory Legislative Assembly) elections.

The ABC story is here. and the CT one.

Could we see a return to the good old days of minority government? A gaggle of independants in the L.A. could at least have the effect of making the dominant party work hard to retain their support.

[ED (Kramer) – There’s a lot of interest on this, so much that we actually got two stories on this… Check ASP’s thoughts below]

If you’re the Liberal Party leader and you read that even business has given up on you, you know you’re in trouble. When you then read that in an election where Labor is likely to loose support and your support will either stay the same or also go south, that business will run its own parties and independents against you, you know you’re really in trouble.

If Zed reads The Canberra Times over breakfast, that’s exactly what he would have read as he sipped his herbal tea while listening to his personal theme song, Eye of the Tiger on his Ghetto Blaster.

The business community including our favourite local liquor merchant and former Liberal Party finance director Jim Murphy and former Chief Minister Kate Carnell (best known for her business aspirations for our city and paying to paint the grass green at Canberra Stadium) have lost faith in the local Libs and are bankrolling their own splinter group.

Why are they forming a new party?

“The ACT [needs] a new political party to move beyond the “elected dictatorship” of Labor and the weak Liberals”

“We need a party that defends Canberra’s interests … a Canberra-type party,”

What do you think, the Democrats were meant to be for the people and disappeared, will a part for “us” but mostly for business be good for Canberra and it’s people?

The whole story is here.

I should make it clear I am non-partisan. I hate ACT Labor at present, have no respect for the Libs (obviously) and the Greens lack strength locally. I used to support the Federal Liberals but they started to get desperate and closed to public ideas, Labor put forward better policies so I changed to them. I choose the party with the best policies at polling time and who have had the best ideas and taken the most action throughout the year. I write this with some level of impartiality so don’t accuse me of Lib bashing, lest I post a list of everything I hate about Stanhopeless. Mytaking the p*ss out of Zed is not meant to e mean but rather highlight that I think he’s driven and new to politics but has little to work with.

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Elvis Las Canberras11:01 pm 02 Mar 08

Yeh Dichtomatroniteshiite,
You must be the next Don Watson – you really have your hands on your crystal balls and have an amazing insight into the machinations of political parties.

Do you happen to work for Zed?

Well as someone once quoted after they brought out the gimp “Zed’s dead baby…Zeds Dead!”

Troy, seems like a nice guy. But nice guys do not last long in the ACT Liberal Party. Smyth, Burke and co undermine anyone that may show up their ineffectiveness.

… curly AND singed.

I think Jacqui Burke should move into federal politics. Australia is overdue for a female PM with long curly pubes.

It depends – If Troy runs for the independents, he’ll still be competing against Mulcahy, Smyth and Burke (the latter two who I reckon will defect from the Libs)
There’s also Colbert in Brindabella, who we haven’t heard from yet.

Regardless of how many independents/libs there are, the Greens I reckon will pick up the extra in Ginninderra and hold the balance of power with the ALP.

Labor can’t maintain the status quo, but I reckon it can keep 7 seats thanks mainly to name-recognition and the (currently) disfunctional opposition.

I see their established tactic of dividing into two parties, and plugging each other on preferences to get into Government.

Maybe they aren’t as stupid as they seem, although the driver behind this is more probably a rift than a tactical move.

Gungahlin Al8:51 am 29 Feb 08

Canberra Times has a lead story on Troy Williams withdrawing from preselection for the Liberals. It cites a “leaked” email in which he apparently cast some criticism on the local party campaign organisation.
So Fhakk, want to revise your projections for number of independents upwards?

yeah, meant molonglo.

Can I call the election now?

7 Labor, 5 Lib, 2 Green, 3 Indep including Mulcahy.

ALP to loose one in Ginnninderra and Brindabella,
Green to pick up one Ginninderra
Indep to pick up in Molonglo and Brindabella
and Mulcahy to stay.

I challenge thee to a duel (takes off glove. Slaps opponent)

BeyondThought8:13 pm 28 Feb 08

could lose one in Fraser Molonglo right?

Kent **is** still involved and trying to get himself nominated.

Really, why would any sensible person want to get involved?

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.

neanderthalsis5:17 pm 28 Feb 08

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?

Mike Crowther10:16 pm 27 Feb 08

“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.

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