Two Tory Party hacks, Simon Morgan and John Osborn, have been sprung casting aspersions on their Party leader, Ted Baillieu, via their maintenance of a blog, hewhostandsfornothing.blogspot.com. As Alpine Opinion writes, the blog has since had access restricted. (See also : Blog betrayal: Libs sack rats, Josh Gordon, The Age, May 11, 2008.) Fortunately, portions of it are still available online.
Bizarrely — or perhaps not — millionaire Baillieu’s critics refer to him as ‘Red Ted’ (Morgan and/or Osborn write “Among some unkind souls, Ted Baillieu is described as Cottee’s – because he’s thick and rich”); a reflection of the dominance of the ultra-right over ‘Liberal’ Party politics. This is further evidenced, in NSW, by the election of Alex Hawke.
The stranglehold the far right has on the NSW branch of the Tories — tolerated for over a decade, with a nod and a wink, by HoWARd and the Federal branch of the Party — has finally started paying electoral dividends for “the Uglies”, as their dirty tactics are transposed from successful internal struggles for control over branches to the battle for seats, power, and the ability to impose their ideology through government channels. Of course, if they were smarter, the Uglies would simply allow the out-sourcing of such activity to continue to remain in the safe hands of the bizarros of the Exclusive Brethren, the radical Christian sect only too happy to Prepare Ye, the Way of the Lords. In the meantime, Alex Hawke, former Führer of the Young Liberals, and loyal lapdog to David Clarke, has branch-stacked his way to a seat in the Federal Parliament, having secured pre-selection to one of the safest Tory seats in the country: Mitchell. In July, HoWARd stated that “I… completely support the decision of the Liberal Party preselection committee in Mitchell, I totally support their (decision)”. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
See also : Unholy battle for Bible belt, Paul Bibby, Sydney Morning Herald, November 23, 2007
And more recently by the exclusion of Scott Morrison, the member for Cook and a former Liberal state director, from the Tories’ Port Hacking branch (Lib farce: MP outcast by own party, The Sydney Morning Herald, March 25, 2008).
In other news, one of the Tories what got done for distributing a racist shit sheet in the week prior to last year’s Federal election, Greg Chijoff, has been fined $750 for the privilege. “He was fined not because of the pamphlets’ content – they purported to be from a non-existent Islamic organisation with Labor Party connections – but because they did not say who was responsible for their distribution” (Chijoff: fine and a higher penalty, Geesche Jacobsen, The Sydney Morning Herald, May 8, 2008). “Three other accused, including the husband of the former Liberal MP Jackie Kelly, are still before courts for similar offences in St Marys. Another pleaded guilty with no conviction being recorded.” The other accused are Gary Clark (Kelly’s husband); Troy Craig, formerly of the Glenmore Park Action Group; Jeffrey Egan, a former member of the state executive; and Robert Holstein. Clark and Egan have plead not guilty; Craig guilty; while Holstein — who has successfully applied for an adjournment — is due in court on May 20, and is yet to enter a plea. The charges all five face have been brought under Federal electoral laws requiring Party political material to bear the relevant names, addresses and authorisation — the shit sheet was claimed to have been published by the fake “Islamic Australia Federation”, and bore the ALP insignia.
