Compulsively blogging the Victorian election

Ranty Andy’s Shocking Revelation – Simon Crean is only human!

Simon Crean hater and masterly Leftie baiter, Andrew Landeryou today has an exclusive on former Federal Opposition leader Simon Crean – a leaked letter from Simon to ALP members in his electorate:
Dear Hotham ALP Member

The Victorian State election will be held on Saturday 25 November 2006. As a party, we are united in working for the return of the Bracks Labor Government.

I encourage party members to assist all local state members in whatever way they can in the coming campaign period. Assistance could take the form of office work and campaign assistance between now and the election, and assistance on polling day in staffing polling booths and scrutineering.

I have received specific requests for assistance from Rob Hudson MP, Member for Bentleigh, and Noel Pullen MP, Candidate for Sandringham. I have agreed to pass on the contact details for Rob and Noel which are as follows.

…

I always appreciate the great contribution made to the ALP by members in the electorate of Hotham. I am now calling on you again to provide whatever help you can to all our state candidates to re-elect Steve Bracks and his team at the State election. (emphasis added)

Andrew informs us that there are, in fact, six State candidates running in Simon’s federal electorate. Besides Rob Hudson and Noel Pullen, the candidates Simon names in the letter, there’s Ann Barker, Janice Munt, Tim Holding and Hong Lim:

It’s no crazy coincidence that Crean was supported by the first two and not supported by those remaining.

The letter is yet another sad episode in the long Creanite catalogue of bitterness and pettiness.

I don’t have the insider knowledge to comment on why Simon might have omitted specific mention of Anne Barker and Janice Munt from his letter – perhaps they just didn’t ask him. Certainly Hong Lim and Tim Holding would have needed a fair bit of hide to ask for Crean’s assistance. Andrew is understating the case a little when he says they didn’t support his federal preselection.

One final point – with 70% of the rank and file members in Hotham backing Crean against Lim and Holding’s preferred candidate, Martin Pakula, would it really be any use for Crean to write to the membership with a “look, I know most of you don’t have any time for these guys, but we’ve got to get behind them for the Partyâ€? pitch? Particularly if they’re looking for volunteers to do some office work?