5 June 2008

Wheels start to fall off Jim Murphy's power grab

| The_Phantom
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Nearly missed it but there was a short news article on Page 5 of today’s Canberra Times (4th June) reporting the resignation of the Canberra Business Club’s (aka the former Liberal Party’s 250 Club) Executive Officer, Russell Parkes.

This must signal a major melt down in Jim Murphy’s bid to become king-maker in the forthcoming ACT elections.

Murphy is Chairman of the Canberra Business Club and has been thrashing around for months now looking for high profile candidates to back for the October poll

Parkes’ departure suggests a falling out with Murphy and more trouble times ahead for the man who wants to be king.

Big Jim has raised high expectations and he knows that failure to back a winner will mean the end of his private 250 club.

There have been a few people who he has asked to run and by all accounts potential candidates simply do not want to be in his debt.

Rumours are abounding that the Market Cellars moghul is so desperate that he has offered his support to independent Molonglo candidate Frank Pangallo, who is rumoured to be standing with the rather troubled former MLA Helen Cross.

If this is true it will be interesting to see if Pangallo takes the bait, especially when Pangallo loves to boast that he is an independent and does not take election donations.

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Pangallo sure does take political donations, he did in the NSW State Elections in the late 90’s when he ran as an independent after being dumped by the Labour Party. He just doesn’t take electoral donations for local government elections. Pangallo will take whatever he can get for free.

disenfranchised11:41 am 07 Jun 08

Murphy and Mulcahy are bitter enemies. It goes back to the 250 club days and funding of some (preferred) candidates during 2004. Mulcahy and his Liberal pal, Kent, could never understand why Jim Murphy and the 250 Club wouldn’t do whatever the Party (read Kent) wanted. The 250 Club was a separate body – sure it was a fund raising vehicle for the Liberals but it was a separate entity. Funny, many of the 250 Club members didn’t appreciate the bellowing and insults hurled their way. They noted that during the years 2001-07, when certain characters were in the ascendancy, the Party hit rock bottom.

arsebandit223:01 pm 06 Jun 08

Murphy & Mulcahy bit like the devil & Mrs Jones. Murphy would support him with a boot us the you know what.

According to ShittyNews, Pangallo also approached the CAP to sus if they wanted a high-profile candidate.
His loyalty seems to be wherever he sees a chance.

So I wasn’t ruling out some kind of pact between Mulcahy and Murphy. One wants to back a winner at any cost, and the other is a party pariah unwilling to lose.
Canberra Business Club had also previously said it was willing to back independents.

On the bad news front, Mulcahy already has direct donors. 🙁

In reply to Skidbladnir: Mulcahy and Murphy hate one anothers guts.

At the last election, I seem to recall that Murphy did all he could to nueter his campaign and secretly funded other candidates ad campaigns.

Can’t see them coming together.

Big Jim gets his name from his rather large girth. Whilst this may have something to do with the amount of wine he sucks down, it is moreso the retention of hot air.

Isn’t Pangello a ALP lover but never shared their sheets? As the former Liberal Party money man, what is Big Jim thinking approaching him?

Anyone know what the situation between Murphy and Mulcahy is?
Part of me envisions a deal-with-the-devil meeting of the pair, the other part of me hopes Mulcahy just does a crash and burn, proving that he can’t stand alone.

But at the very least, the Mulcahy donor list should be interesting when disclosed.

“Venomous” Phantom will not be happy to read in today’s Canberra Times that Jimbo is trying to get John Howard along to one of his CBC dinners.

I would suggest that Jimbo would have more luck getting Barack Obama to appear in his den than John Howard, especially after the way Jimbo has turned on the Libs.

Does Big Jim also run Opes Dei?

Also, people dont want to be in his debt? I fear Jim Corleone.

Not a fan of Murphy, Phantom? Fair bit of venom there.

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