Victorian local council elections : far left and far right

Citizens in the state of Victoria are scheduled to vote in their local council elections on Saturday, November 29. (Actually, only about half of those entitled to vote usually bother doing so.) This is democracy in/action, and a small number of socialists, one or possibly two far right candidates, and even an anarchist, have thrown their hats into the ring.

They are:

Joseph ‘The Anarchist’ Toscano for Melbourne Mayor (‘Leadership Team’: 11 ‘Teams’, 1 vacancy).

For the Socialist Alliance:

Stuart is competing with the ALP and the Greens for a seat, while Margarita must defeat a Green and three independents (including Garth “A vote for Garth is a vote for fun!” Bray).

    Moreland
    Vannessa Hearman, Turan Ertekin and Sue Bolton (South Ward: 12 candidates, 3 vacancies)
    Greater Geelong
    Bronwyn Jennings (Cowie: 5 candidates, 1 vacancy)
    Lisa Gleeson (Brownbill: 5 candidates, 1 vacancy)

    Queenscliffe
    Chris Johnson (5 vacancies, 9 candidates)

As far as I can tell, all bar one (or possibly two) of the SA candidates are members of the DSP/Resistance. The only exception to this neo-Trotskyist rule is Turan Ertekin, who is a member of the Anatolian Cultural Centre and, according to a fellow trainspotter, the local, Australian representative of the ‘Labour Party of Turkey’ (EMEP). The foundation of EMEP was supposedly the result of an initiative by Turkish political cadres affiliated with the Albanian Party of Labour (Partia e Punës e Shqipërisë, PPSh in Albanian). The Albanian Party of Labour is, in turn, one of the awesomest parties ever, being the sole legal political party in Albania during communist rule (1946-1991), and having as its leader one of the awesomest leaders ever: Enver Hoxha.

In the City of Yarra, the Socialist Party is also standing candidates:

Anthony Main (Nicholls Ward: 6 candidates, 3 vacancies)
Denise Dudley (Melba Ward: 9 candidates, 3 vacancies) and sitting candidate (and Australia’s only elected socialist)
Stephen Jolly (Langridge Ward: 7 candidates, 3 vacancies)

I first heard those five dear letters at the dawn of my life
Ever since, your name became as dear to me as my home.
And we shout “ENVER!”
And the sky seems loftier than before,
The lands around us larger,
The sun brighter,
And our visions ever more magnificent.
We shout “ENVER!”
And our days take on colour and meaning
As they fall like cadets
Into the great ranks of the People’s Revolution!

“I know nothing”

Candidates on the far right this year are disappointingly few. Thus far, only one has reared his head: Neil Henry Smith, who is competing for a place on Monash City Council (Mulgrave Ward). Dude was too racist even for One Notion! (Self-proclaimed racist kicked out of party, Kirsten Leiminger, Monash Leader, November 3, 2008). He is unlikely to win, but his candidate statement is still pretty cool.

SMITH, Neil Henry [No photo submitted]

Being a former A.N.Z. Bank Auditor I will vet all items of Council expenditure with a fine – tooth comb. Expenditure not up to scratch will be vigorously opposed. Having recently been involved in a boundary dispute I must express my extreme disappointment with the Monash Building Section. It seemed the approach adopted, mirrored that of Sergeant Schultz of Hogan’s Heroes “I know nothing”. As a councillor I will personally provide a conscientious and sympathetic advisory service to Monash ratepayers harbouring concerns on building matters. The greatest scourge Australia is facing this century is over population. Monash Council is not a benevolent institution, ratepayers are not benefactors, with many battling to fund Council rates. Under no circumstances should ratepayers be forced to pick up the tab for those overseas cot cases transported to Monash by Kevin Rudd and his merry politicians. I will aggressively reject Council funding chanelled thereto.

Following the less-than-total success of Australia First at the recent NSW local council elections, its leader Dr James Saleam declared:

1. Australia First will be contesting Maroondah Council Poll in Greater Melbourne in November.

The party committee in Victoria has resolved to contest the poll for Maroondah Council. The Victorian council elections in November are not conducted in the same way as the New South Wales ones. They feature no polling booth voting days and are all [sic] conducted as postal ballots.

Of course, the party must ‘campaign’ in the normal manner to attract public attention; but ultimately, all voters are provided with a postal ballot.

As far as I can tell, however, this has not occurred. Further, the site for the Melbourne branch appears to be temporarily down. The local organiser, Brendan Gidley, certainly isn’t in the running.

Brendan Gidley, a One Nation branch committee member in the Melbourne suburb of Ringwood. Gidley stood for a Victorian Senate seat in 1993 for the Republican Party of Australia. He is also the founder of the tiny National Republican Movement, an anti-immigrant group that was active in the early 1990s, and which modelled itself on National Action. The NRM issued posters using artwork from the US-based Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. One of its stickers read: “Mass Third World immigration: Enriching our culture by TB, syphilis, AIDS, hepatitis, rabies, leprosy.” The NRM is still active, and is listed on a new far-right website as a supplier of “nationalist literature” written by former National Action and National Socialist (Nazi) Party leader Jim Saleam. The address given is Gidley’s PO Box in the Melbourne suburb of Kew.

The current PO address for AF is in Croydon; so too, the PO address for their rivals, the Australian Protectionist Party. Personally, I think they’re both bald men fighting over a fine-tooth comb.

About @ndy

I live in Melbourne, Australia. I like anarchy. I don't like nazis. I enjoy eating pizza and drinking beer. I barrack for the greatest football team on Earth: Collingwood Magpies. The 2024 premiership's a cakewalk for the good old Collingwood.
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8 Responses to Victorian local council elections : far left and far right

  1. Kadet says:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Australian_anarchists
    Heh I’m surprised Joseph made it here and not you @ndy!
    Obviously the guy enjoys talking himself up.

  2. @ndy says:

    I think if you check the History of that pg you’ll find that Joe is not responsible. Also, he has a public profile — I don’t. (Plus he has a gaggle of followers.)

  3. Luke Connors says:

    Well to make it on that list you would actually have to come out in public and reveal your full name to all and sundry.

    I am very sure you will get around to it some day Andy.

    I have a lot of respect for Joe, his letters to the papers are always a source of informed comment from a point of view that isn’t voiced enough.

    Brilliant site by the way, very good for a chuckle.

  4. @ndy says:

    Mr. Moran, that’s who I am
    Some call me Sal, some call me Sam
    Some call me when they’re in a jam
    Cause I’m the man, I’m Mr. Moran

  5. Kadet says:

    Haha a man of mystery 😛

    p.s Luke Connors: Nice face, would look better if I put my fist through it you nazi piece of shit

  6. KinkyGoy says:

    [The Last Post…]

    GET A FUCKING BLOG OF YOUR OWN!!!

  7. Luke Connors says:

    Hey Kadet,

    Seeing how you seem to be such a brave person who is clearly a wonderful fighter and could no doubt ‘farkin destroy’ me.

    How about posting your full name and address, after all being such a big awesome type who likes threatening people in the comments section of someone else’s blog I’m sure you have nothing to fear from such a pathetic loser type as myself…

    Please, let’s meet up.

  8. Kadet says:

    hey sounds like a great idea, tea and biscuits?

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