19 April 2016

Power Corrupts Absolutely

13 August 2014 | John Hargreaves

Did anyone notice the oceans of salivation over Eddie Obeid’s, Joe Tripodi’s and Ian MacDonald’s discomfort when sprung by the NSW ICAC? All those Labor haters thought the wrath of God had finally arrived on those scumbags.

I need to say that I love Labor desperately. The Party has been good to me and has given me the opportunity to do things for other people that I otherwise would not have been able to dream of.

Imagine my joy at the discomfort of those Labor haters now that we have Hartcher, Cornwell and Owen sprung now! And there is a suggestion that Mr Loughnane, Federal Director of the Libs, knew about the dodginess.

And before anyone screams libel, defamation and slander, I merely quote from articles published in the fourth estate, in print and online.

However, after all this entertainment, let us consider and acknowledge the state of corruption in ACT politics since 1989. There has been none! So to all those Assembly haters out there, take note! Your preference to be governed by NSW as we are just a “country town” is to endorse governance by the corrupt.

All sides of politics during my 15 years there and my research and personal contact with colleagues of all persuasions have confirmed this; have not had the slightest hint of political corruption. And there was none between 1989 and 1998, either. Something to be immensely proud of!

Corruption only comes from the addiction to money or power. It is interesting to note that those who have indulged in the corruption for greed have usually been supremely well off. By Mr Cornwell’s own admission he took the money to pay off a PAYG tax debt. Obeid did what he did to feather his own nest financially. Neither needed the money! It was just pure greed! And both knew what they did was illegal!

No doubt some of our pollies have been offered bribes but to my recollection none has even contemplated accepting them. And they are the worst paid ministers and Members in the country.

We should be consistent in our condemnation of corruption in NSW by all parties and congratulatory to our home grown pollies here.

Join the conversation

All Comments

All Comments
Website Comments
Facebook Comments

LatestOldest

VYBerlinaV8_is_back9:33 am 22 Aug 14

2604 said :

John Hargreaves Ex MLA said :

What is it about people who spend their lives trying to do nice things for the less well off do you find offensive?

This is a nice piece of idealism. The truth is that the money spent by ACT Labor on the genuinely less well-off – homeless people, mentally ill people, disabled people – is a drop in the ocean compared to the money it has spent, or plans to spend, currying favour with the electorate and realising various left-wing fantasies.

Light rail. “Free” wi-fi in Civic and on ACTION buses. The GWS Giants. A $70 million primary school in Bonner. The Skywhale. Unionised bus drivers earning $110,000 per annum doing a minimum-wage job. Solar feed-in tariffs. A geothermally heated pool at Lake Burley Griffin. An obscenely high renewable energy target. All of these indulgences are paid for by all ACT residents, including low and middle-income earners, whose rates, car registration and other duties are ratcheted up every year.

If you really want to do something for “poor” people, why don’t you persuade your party to get rid of its poker machines, whose ill effects are proven to fall disproportionately on low-income earners? Why don’t you advocate for a reversal of the increased “sin” taxes on cigarettes and alcohol introduced by Kevin Rudd, which also disproportionately affected the less well off? Why don’t you campaign against the relentless raises in the minimum wage championed by the ACTU, which lock more and more people out of the employment market every year?

Nailed it.

260410:44 pm 21 Aug 14

John Hargreaves Ex MLA said :

What is it about people who spend their lives trying to do nice things for the less well off do you find offensive?

This is a nice piece of idealism. The truth is that the money spent by ACT Labor on the genuinely less well-off – homeless people, mentally ill people, disabled people – is a drop in the ocean compared to the money it has spent, or plans to spend, currying favour with the electorate and realising various left-wing fantasies.

Light rail. “Free” wi-fi in Civic and on ACTION buses. The GWS Giants. A $70 million primary school in Bonner. The Skywhale. Unionised bus drivers earning $110,000 per annum doing a minimum-wage job. Solar feed-in tariffs. A geothermally heated pool at Lake Burley Griffin. An obscenely high renewable energy target. All of these indulgences are paid for by all ACT residents, including low and middle-income earners, whose rates, car registration and other duties are ratcheted up every year.

If you really want to do something for “poor” people, why don’t you persuade your party to get rid of its poker machines, whose ill effects are proven to fall disproportionately on low-income earners? Why don’t you advocate for a reversal of the increased “sin” taxes on cigarettes and alcohol introduced by Kevin Rudd, which also disproportionately affected the less well off? Why don’t you campaign against the relentless raises in the minimum wage championed by the ACTU, which lock more and more people out of the employment market every year?

dungfungus9:53 pm 21 Aug 14

dungfungus said :

John Hargreaves Ex MLA said :

dungfungus said :

John Hargreaves Ex MLA said :

dungfungus said :

Masquara said :

John Hargreaves, what do you think of governments taking revenue from pokies?

As distinct from political donations?

When people join the Labor Club they know that it was created to support the Labor movement. This might surprise you but the Labor Club is not the only club in town with pokies and is not the only club to support political parties. The Vikings do so as well, so does the Southern Cross Club to a small degree.

It should be noted that all donations to the Labor Party are declared. If I remember correctly it was the Liberal Party which under reported its revenue after the last election and got into strife.

In terms of inappropriate processes, you may know that the Labor Party moved legislation to prevent Members from employing their family members as staffers. Yet that didn’t stop the then Leader of the Opposition from employing his brother in law as Chief of Staff.

It was not the Labor Party who tapped into Minister Wood’s email account and had a Privileges Committee into the matter resulting in the resignation of a senior staffer in the then Leader of the Opposition’s office.

I was not the Labor Party whose member was required to repay expenditure from their office allowances as were two Liberal members.

In answer to the question on money from pokies, I have no problem at all with charities receiving a slice of poker machine revenue. The issues for problem gamblers are addressed by clubs very well and the vast majority of members are not problem gamblers. Evidence to the Assembly committees was given by Clubs ACT and shows the real extent of the problem and the clubs reaction. I suggest you do some more research.

John, before ACT Labor Clubs created their property trust, didn’t they give the ACT Labor Party over $500,000 a year for political campaigning?
I doubt if even the CSCC could match that.

Why the fixation on Labor? what about the Libs owning property and using rents to pay for their campaigning, At least the ALP is transparent cos even you know a little about their affairs. Not much but a little.

There is not a property trust per se set up. This is the last I intend to speculate on my Party’s affairs until such time as the Libs come clean about their funding and stop lying on their electoral returns.

Someone told me that the conservatives and their supporters were greater haters than the Labor people. I didn’t think it was true but now I’m not so sure. What is it about people who spend their lives trying to do nice things for the less well off do you find offensive? No-one said Labor was perfect but it is not the dragon you make it out to be.

If you persist in your dislike for Labor show me how the Libs are better and put up or shut up.

If, on the other hand, you are just being obtuse to get a rise out of me, go to the top of the class. But don’t take your books, you won’t be there long enough.

John, stop muddying the waters. I am talking about the Labor Clubs and their wealth, not the Canberra Labor Party.
Now, did the Labor Clubs give ACT Labor amounts of around $500,000 regularly for election campaigning or not?

John is obviously having difficulty getting the details so here is the link from the AEC which confirms the Labor Clubs gave electoral donations to the ACT Labor Party of $662,067.00 in the year 2009 -2010.
http://fadar.aec.gov.au/ReceiptsEntityPartyList.aspx?SubmissionID=24&ClientID=55&ClientTyCo=P

Masquara8:41 pm 21 Aug 14

John Hargreaves Ex MLA said :

In answer to the question on money from pokies, I have no problem at all with charities receiving a slice of poker machine revenue.

That’s disingenuous, John Hargreaves. My question was about pokie machine revenue for government, not the proportionally very small distribution back to the community. If you actually cared about the less well off, you and your mates would have agitated to keep pokie money where it will be spent on food and groceries, and the kids.

justin heywood7:12 pm 21 Aug 14

John Hargreaves Ex MLA said :

Why the fixation on Labor?

….Someone told me that the conservatives and their supporters were greater haters than the Labor people. I didn’t think it was true but now I’m not so sure. What is it about people who spend their lives trying to do nice things for the less well off do you find offensive? No-one said Labor was perfect but it is not the dragon you make it out to be.
.

Given the title of the piece, ‘Power Corrupts’, I thought it might be an interesting article – an old political warhorse reflecting on the temptations of power. But no, by the third paragraph you were bashing the old enemy, playing up their faults while minimising or excusing your own side, as if you were still playing the great game.

Labor Haters? You seem to be barely capable of writing a paragraph that doesn’t take a swipe at the Libs. When the faults of Labor are pointed out to you you become defensive or evasive.
You obfuscate when asked about pokie money funding your party.
You happily smear leading Liberal party figures that have never been before a court, but become defensive about your own sponsoring of a memorial to the notorious Al Grassby, on the grounds that that he was never convicted.

I don’t think anybody expects you to sing the praises of the Liberal Party John, but have an objective look at your own posts. There are plenty of haters on both sides of politics already here. As an ex-player, surely you’ve got more interesting things to say than Blue Team Bad, Red Team Good.

dungfungus6:59 pm 21 Aug 14

John Hargreaves Ex MLA said :

dungfungus said :

John Hargreaves Ex MLA said :

dungfungus said :

Masquara said :

John Hargreaves, what do you think of governments taking revenue from pokies?

As distinct from political donations?

When people join the Labor Club they know that it was created to support the Labor movement. This might surprise you but the Labor Club is not the only club in town with pokies and is not the only club to support political parties. The Vikings do so as well, so does the Southern Cross Club to a small degree.

It should be noted that all donations to the Labor Party are declared. If I remember correctly it was the Liberal Party which under reported its revenue after the last election and got into strife.

In terms of inappropriate processes, you may know that the Labor Party moved legislation to prevent Members from employing their family members as staffers. Yet that didn’t stop the then Leader of the Opposition from employing his brother in law as Chief of Staff.

It was not the Labor Party who tapped into Minister Wood’s email account and had a Privileges Committee into the matter resulting in the resignation of a senior staffer in the then Leader of the Opposition’s office.

I was not the Labor Party whose member was required to repay expenditure from their office allowances as were two Liberal members.

In answer to the question on money from pokies, I have no problem at all with charities receiving a slice of poker machine revenue. The issues for problem gamblers are addressed by clubs very well and the vast majority of members are not problem gamblers. Evidence to the Assembly committees was given by Clubs ACT and shows the real extent of the problem and the clubs reaction. I suggest you do some more research.

John, before ACT Labor Clubs created their property trust, didn’t they give the ACT Labor Party over $500,000 a year for political campaigning?
I doubt if even the CSCC could match that.

Why the fixation on Labor? what about the Libs owning property and using rents to pay for their campaigning, At least the ALP is transparent cos even you know a little about their affairs. Not much but a little.

There is not a property trust per se set up. This is the last I intend to speculate on my Party’s affairs until such time as the Libs come clean about their funding and stop lying on their electoral returns.

Someone told me that the conservatives and their supporters were greater haters than the Labor people. I didn’t think it was true but now I’m not so sure. What is it about people who spend their lives trying to do nice things for the less well off do you find offensive? No-one said Labor was perfect but it is not the dragon you make it out to be.

If you persist in your dislike for Labor show me how the Libs are better and put up or shut up.

If, on the other hand, you are just being obtuse to get a rise out of me, go to the top of the class. But don’t take your books, you won’t be there long enough.

John, stop muddying the waters. I am talking about the Labor Clubs and their wealth, not the Canberra Labor Party.
Now, did the Labor Clubs give ACT Labor amounts of around $500,000 regularly for election campaigning or not?

HiddenDragon6:11 pm 21 Aug 14

It’s starting to sound like an ACT ICAC, with its own Tardis, could follow some very interesting lines of inquiry.

John Hargreaves Ex MLA6:10 pm 21 Aug 14

dungfungus said :

John Hargreaves Ex MLA said :

dungfungus said :

Masquara said :

John Hargreaves, what do you think of governments taking revenue from pokies?

As distinct from political donations?

When people join the Labor Club they know that it was created to support the Labor movement. This might surprise you but the Labor Club is not the only club in town with pokies and is not the only club to support political parties. The Vikings do so as well, so does the Southern Cross Club to a small degree.

It should be noted that all donations to the Labor Party are declared. If I remember correctly it was the Liberal Party which under reported its revenue after the last election and got into strife.

In terms of inappropriate processes, you may know that the Labor Party moved legislation to prevent Members from employing their family members as staffers. Yet that didn’t stop the then Leader of the Opposition from employing his brother in law as Chief of Staff.

It was not the Labor Party who tapped into Minister Wood’s email account and had a Privileges Committee into the matter resulting in the resignation of a senior staffer in the then Leader of the Opposition’s office.

I was not the Labor Party whose member was required to repay expenditure from their office allowances as were two Liberal members.

In answer to the question on money from pokies, I have no problem at all with charities receiving a slice of poker machine revenue. The issues for problem gamblers are addressed by clubs very well and the vast majority of members are not problem gamblers. Evidence to the Assembly committees was given by Clubs ACT and shows the real extent of the problem and the clubs reaction. I suggest you do some more research.

John, before ACT Labor Clubs created their property trust, didn’t they give the ACT Labor Party over $500,000 a year for political campaigning?
I doubt if even the CSCC could match that.

Why the fixation on Labor? what about the Libs owning property and using rents to pay for their campaigning, At least the ALP is transparent cos even you know a little about their affairs. Not much but a little.

There is not a property trust per se set up. This is the last I intend to speculate on my Party’s affairs until such time as the Libs come clean about their funding and stop lying on their electoral returns.

Someone told me that the conservatives and their supporters were greater haters than the Labor people. I didn’t think it was true but now I’m not so sure. What is it about people who spend their lives trying to do nice things for the less well off do you find offensive? No-one said Labor was perfect but it is not the dragon you make it out to be.

If you persist in your dislike for Labor show me how the Libs are better and put up or shut up.

If, on the other hand, you are just being obtuse to get a rise out of me, go to the top of the class. But don’t take your books, you won’t be there long enough.

dungfungus2:32 pm 21 Aug 14

John Hargreaves Ex MLA said :

dungfungus said :

Masquara said :

John Hargreaves, what do you think of governments taking revenue from pokies?

As distinct from political donations?

When people join the Labor Club they know that it was created to support the Labor movement. This might surprise you but the Labor Club is not the only club in town with pokies and is not the only club to support political parties. The Vikings do so as well, so does the Southern Cross Club to a small degree.

It should be noted that all donations to the Labor Party are declared. If I remember correctly it was the Liberal Party which under reported its revenue after the last election and got into strife.

In terms of inappropriate processes, you may know that the Labor Party moved legislation to prevent Members from employing their family members as staffers. Yet that didn’t stop the then Leader of the Opposition from employing his brother in law as Chief of Staff.

It was not the Labor Party who tapped into Minister Wood’s email account and had a Privileges Committee into the matter resulting in the resignation of a senior staffer in the then Leader of the Opposition’s office.

I was not the Labor Party whose member was required to repay expenditure from their office allowances as were two Liberal members.

In answer to the question on money from pokies, I have no problem at all with charities receiving a slice of poker machine revenue. The issues for problem gamblers are addressed by clubs very well and the vast majority of members are not problem gamblers. Evidence to the Assembly committees was given by Clubs ACT and shows the real extent of the problem and the clubs reaction. I suggest you do some more research.

John, before ACT Labor Clubs created their property trust, didn’t they give the ACT Labor Party over $500,000 a year for political campaigning?
I doubt if even the CSCC could match that.

dungfungus2:29 pm 21 Aug 14

John Hargreaves Ex MLA said :

dungfungus said :

Masquara said :

John Hargreaves, what do you think of governments taking revenue from pokies?

As distinct from political donations?

When people join the Labor Club they know that it was created to support the Labor movement. This might surprise you but the Labor Club is not the only club in town with pokies and is not the only club to support political parties. The Vikings do so as well, so does the Southern Cross Club to a small degree.

It should be noted that all donations to the Labor Party are declared. If I remember correctly it was the Liberal Party which under reported its revenue after the last election and got into strife.

In terms of inappropriate processes, you may know that the Labor Party moved legislation to prevent Members from employing their family members as staffers. Yet that didn’t stop the then Leader of the Opposition from employing his brother in law as Chief of Staff.

It was not the Labor Party who tapped into Minister Wood’s email account and had a Privileges Committee into the matter resulting in the resignation of a senior staffer in the then Leader of the Opposition’s office.

I was not the Labor Party whose member was required to repay expenditure from their office allowances as were two Liberal members.

In answer to the question on money from pokies, I have no problem at all with charities receiving a slice of poker machine revenue. The issues for problem gamblers are addressed by clubs very well and the vast majority of members are not problem gamblers. Evidence to the Assembly committees was given by Clubs ACT and shows the real extent of the problem and the clubs reaction. I suggest you do some more research.

So, ACT Labor is squeaky clean then?

View more conversations

Featured Businesses

Lawyers

BDN Lawyers

BDN has provided legal services to to Canberra, Queanbeyan and the region for over 160 years.

Find out more

Electricians

True Connection Electrical

Since 2014, True Connection Electrical have been servicing residential and small commercial clients with reliable, trustworthy and top-quality electrical work.

Find out more

Professional Services

RSM

We share skills, insight and resources, as well as a client-centric approach that's based on a deep understanding of your business.

Find out more

Lawyers

MV Law

Through a spirit of entrepreneurialism, collaboration, and future-forward thinking, MV Law have earned an industry-leading reputation.

Find out more

Community Club

Canberra Southern Cross Club

We're proud to give you a place where friends and family can come together for good food and great entertainment.

Find out more

Insurance Brokers

allinsure

Allinsure has been a trusted insurance advisory to thousands of Australian business owners for almost 20 years.

Find out more

Mortgage Brokers

Clarity Home Loans

A passionate team of Canberrans helping other Canberrans secure their home loans. No frills, no commissions, no brainer.

Find out more

Lawyers

Kamy Saeedi Law

When you need a criminal or commercial lawyer, you don’t want to take any chances. You want someone in your corner that you can trust like your life depends on it - because it does.

Find out more