The South Australian Political Landscape

[Gozu]

Almost missed this, more in-fighting in the Libs this time an unsuccessful challege to Deputy Leader Mitch Williams:

"Liberals hit self-destruct button again":

IT FIGURES, I guess.

The State Liberals have been kicking a few goals of late.

They’ve put pressure on the Premier over a lack of transparency surrounding the Holden bailout, given the government a kicking for the Cavan escapees bungle, maintained a dogged line on public transport’s myriad failings and even scored points on the tardy approval process for one of Labor’s feelgood policies, energy concessions for the medically disabled.

So, given their penchant for self-immolation, it was only a matter of time before internal tensions and reckless self-promotion came inevitably to the fore.

The fact (undenied) that Deputy Leader Mitch Williams was challenged and nearly rolled in a party-room standoff over a policy paper on the River Murray, with his colleagues preferring a policy paper by Riverland backbencher Tim Whetstone, is awkward for the Opposition and its leadership.

The fact that the dispute was leaked to The Australian is a disaster for the Liberals.

It seems the party has been completely unable to grasp – either at state or federal level – that when you are ahead in the polls, the best policy is to shut up and wash your dirty laundry in private.

The fact that some in the party still clearly feel internal point-scoring is preferable to seizing government suggests that peculiar sickness we see so often in the state Liberals, a movement that evidently attracts members for whom the end-game of politics is not power and influence nor even, God forbid, to do good for others, but politics itself.

http://indaily.wordpress.com/2012/04/13 ... ton-again/

[Psyber]

That site is running the current state ALP pre-pre-election line.
Every ALP member I know is talking about alleged disunity in the Liberals, and potential leadership challenges.
After hearing one of them spout it yet again at a lunch with old school friends I discussed the pattern with a friend there who is in prominent the local media.
His comment was, "Yeah, well what else have the state ALP got?!"

[story of my life]

[quote="Psyber"]That site is running the current state ALP pre-pre-election line.
Every ALP member I know is talking about alleged disunity in the Liberals, and potential leadership challenges.
After hearing one of them spout it yet again at a lunch with old school friends I discussed the pattern with a friend there who is in prominent the local media.
His comment was, "Yeah, well what else have the state ALP got?!"[/quote]

Vicki Chapman and Martin Hamilton Smith

[Psyber]

That site is running the current state ALP pre-pre-election line.
Every ALP member I know is talking about alleged disunity in the Liberals, and potential leadership challenges.
After hearing one of them spout it yet again at a lunch with old school friends I discussed the pattern with a friend there who is in prominent the local media.
His comment was, "Yeah, well what else have the state ALP got?!"

Vicki Chapman and Martin Hamilton Smith

That's what its all about.
They are trying to sell to the swinging voter the idea that you may vote for Isobel and get one of those two.
Isobel assures me the whole Liberal Party team is aware of this ALP strategy...

[bara-stick]

That site is running the current state ALP pre-pre-election line.
Every ALP member I know is talking about alleged disunity in the Liberals, and potential leadership challenges.
After hearing one of them spout it yet again at a lunch with old school friends I discussed the pattern with a friend there who is in prominent the local media.
His comment was, "Yeah, well what else have the state ALP got?!"

Vicki Chapman and Martin Hamilton Smith

That's what its all about.
They are trying to sell to the swinging voter the idea that you may vote for Isobel and get one of those two.
Isobel assures me the whole Liberal Party team is aware of this ALP strategy...

as if the libs wouldnt do the same if things were reversed. there all a bunch of nitwits and the only thing dumber than politicians is the halfwits who buy their bollox.

[story of my life]

That site is running the current state ALP pre-pre-election line.
Every ALP member I know is talking about alleged disunity in the Liberals, and potential leadership challenges.
After hearing one of them spout it yet again at a lunch with old school friends I discussed the pattern with a friend there who is in prominent the local media.
His comment was, "Yeah, well what else have the state ALP got?!"

Vicki Chapman and Martin Hamilton Smith

That's what its all about.
They are trying to sell to the swinging voter the idea that you may vote for Isobel and get one of those two.
Isobel assures me the whole Liberal Party team is aware of this ALP strategy...

if they are aware of this strategy Psyber why do at least 2 individuals continually make it a reality. Its all about perception in voter land. The "cant govern themselves cant govern the state" mantra will always be trotted out at the hint of any disunity. Obviously i've never run an election campaign but I assume it would be very hard to "control the uncontrollables", so why make something as simple as internal discipline so difficult

[Jimmy_041]

That site is running the current state ALP pre-pre-election line.
Every ALP member I know is talking about alleged disunity in the Liberals, and potential leadership challenges.
After hearing one of them spout it yet again at a lunch with old school friends I discussed the pattern with a friend there who is in prominent the local media.
His comment was, "Yeah, well what else have the state ALP got?!"

Vicki Chapman and Martin Hamilton Smith

That's what its all about.
They are trying to sell to the swinging voter the idea that you may vote for Isobel and get one of those two.
Isobel assures me the whole Liberal Party team is aware of this ALP strategy...

as if the libs wouldnt do the same if things were reversed. there all a bunch of nitwits and the only thing dumber than politicians is the halfwits who buy their bollox.

Rann and his mates have lived on this
Only now is the truth beginning to surface

[Gozu]

That site is running the current state ALP pre-pre-election line.
Every ALP member I know is talking about alleged disunity in the Liberals, and potential leadership challenges.
After hearing one of them spout it yet again at a lunch with old school friends I discussed the pattern with a friend there who is in prominent the local media.
His comment was, "Yeah, well what else have the state ALP got?!"

Indaily? The same organisation when it was a newspaper that had that Phillips character that attacked Rann on the front cover along with a double page interview with him inside smack bang in the middle of the 2010 election campaign?

Tom Richardson (Indaily/Channel 9) is one of the most balanced journos we've got here in SA and it's funny you're going down the Lib apologist route (again) to try and defend their latest in-fighting.

As he said "their penchant for self-immolation" is bang on.

[Psyber]

Indaily? The same organisation when it was a newspaper that had that Phillips character that attacked Rann on the front cover along with a double page interview with him inside smack bang in the middle of the 2010 election campaign?

Tom Richardson (Indaily/Channel 9) is one of the most balanced journos we've got here in SA and it's funny you're going down the Lib apologist route (again) to try and defend their latest in-fighting.

As he said "their penchant for self-immolation" is bang on.

Read with your eyes not your emotions, Gozu.
I didn't say they were an ALP publication, or even ALP biased, just that in this case they have been persuaded to run the line the ALP is promoting at the moment via their whisper campaign.

People have carried on about the Liberals taking a low profile since the last election.
The reason is to avoid giving the ALP the chance to steal policies before the election as they did last time.
Of course the ALP then claims that is because they have no policies - you can't blame them for trying...

So with that not working they are running a campaign that worked in the past when there was some truth in it.
Sure the Libs had an unstable patch and the ALP successfully exploited it.
That ended with Isobel Redmond's selection as leader, and the ALP is just trying to whip it up again in sheer desperation.

I admit the ALP handle internal competition and conflict better than the Liberals.
It is easier to do that when the power of pre-selection and support is concentrated into a few hands.
In the Libs the power is in the hands of the entire membership, and the local members can select their own candidate rather than have one imposed from outside.
(Sure sometimes power brokers try to impose someone but they are not guaranteed to win, unlike in the ALP.)

[Jimmy_041]

Got to laugh at the Labor line of infighting in the Liberal camp
Are these not the same people that just necked their leader & deputy leader?
Half the cabinet are only there because of their faction even though their colleagues know they are incompetent
When they get flogged in the next election, there will be blood in the Labor streets
I could name you 8 ministers who will never see the front bench again

[Psyber]

Yes, its a traditional pattern.
I met Don Banfield a few times when he was the mandatory Metal Workers' Union man in the Dunstan government ministry, and the appointed Minister of Health.
He was a complete dimwit, and liked his Brandy and drys excessively and early in the day.
It was obvious he wasn't actually running his portfolio.

He also used to leave the hospital I worked at then after every trip out to open something with a parcel of meat from the hospital kitchen.
IIRC, then Peter Duncan replaced him to clean up the "waste in the hospital system".

[Jimmy_041]

Even John Hill is being "outed" as incompetent now
The sheen is coming off them all and their only defence is to say the Libs are infighting

[Squawk]

:lol:

I could name you 8 ministers who will never see the front bench again

8?

I'd have 4 'groups', similar to cycling's Grand Tours:

1. Tete de la course:

Weatherill, Rau, Hill, Conlon, Caica would all pass as Ministers.

2. Le Peleton:

Snelling? Has the makings of assurance in a Minister's role.
Hunter? Has been OK so far. A good domestique.
O'Brien? More time needed but seems stronger with his new portfolios.

3. Arriere de la course:

Koutsantonis, Portolesi.

4. Lantern Rouge:
Shared between Fox, Gago, Rankine, Wortley and Kenyon. Fox and Kenyon are really battling it out for this mantle though.

[Jimmy_041]

Gago, Rankine, Wortley, Kenyon, Snelling, Fox, Hunter, O'Brien & Portolesi.

You may say Im wrong about Snelling but he is in so much $hit, he'll have trouble ever getting rid of the smell

[Squawk]

That's 9 Jimmy!

I know what you mean about Snelling (if you refer to the budgetary situation, that is). But as a Minister he performs much better than majority.

[Jimmy_041]

I had my 8 - I just chucked him in because every time I hear him now, he just gilds the dead lily

[Gozu]

Not good:

THE best way to deal with gender discrimination in the workplace is to ignore it and it will “just disappear”, state Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond has told a women’s leadership luncheon in Adelaide.

There were audible snorts of disbelief among some guests when Ms Redmond offered her personal strategy to turn a blind eye towards discrimination, as she addressed the Committee for Economic Development of Australia [CEDA] event at the Intercontinental Hotel yesterday.

http://indaily.wordpress.com/2012/05/22 ... s-redmond/

[Jimmy_041]

Utter crap Gozu

Is the female Opposition Leader not entitled to her own views or must she fit in with those who haven't achieved what she has?
I felt more admiration for her courage to say what she thinks in defiance of those who want her to say what they want to hear

Good on her

[story of my life]

Not good:

THE best way to deal with gender discrimination in the workplace is to ignore it and it will “just disappear”, state Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond has told a women’s leadership luncheon in Adelaide.

There were audible snorts of disbelief among some guests when Ms Redmond offered her personal strategy to turn a blind eye towards discrimination, as she addressed the Committee for Economic Development of Australia [CEDA] event at the Intercontinental Hotel yesterday.

http://indaily.wordpress.com/2012/05/22 ... s-redmond/

Almost like the that muppett Downers "Things that Batter" comment

[Jimmy_041]

If Gillard had said the same thing, some of those people would have applauded her for her courage
She's no dummy and good on her for telling people what she thinks instead of what they want to hear