Comments on: Nonpartisan ALP candidate

By: Mark

Mark — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:59:20 +0000

I don’t think Labor would be well placed to win McPherson, David, but when has there ever been serious effort put into contesting the Gold Coast federal seats? There might be a lot of fat in that margin. Consider that Labor broke through to the Coast at state level in 89, but it’s been relatively fertile pickings since then. Despite ominous predictions to the contrary, Labor held on to all its coast and hinterland seats in 06, and recorded a mean 2% swing in its favour in the region. With Gaven being regained from the by-election loss, Labor holds 5 out of 8 Gold Coast and hinterland state seats. There’s been a lot of demographic change, and the Coast is particularly groaning under the infrastructure squeeze – there’s a reason why the hospitals were a big issue down there last time. The feds persist in putting no money where their mouths are when it comes to infrastructure, and a Rudd $2 billion carrot might well swing a few votes. Probably not enough to win McPherson, but anything that keeps the Libs on their toes in safe seats makes it harder for them to hold marginals. And if there’s a big swing on, things never follow the pendulum and all sorts of surprises fall.

By: David Jackmanson

David Jackmanson — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 11:53:31 +0000

Why the assumption that this is any sort of a mistake, or that Cr Sarroff does not understand the rules of the game?

McPherson has never been held by the ALP. It’s had coalition luminaries like Treasurer and (very briefly) Prime Minister Artie Fadden, Minister for Territories Cec Barnes and Finance Minister Eric Robinson as its local member at one time or another.

To have even an outside chance of winning the seat, a “Kevin Rudd Independent” candidate would be far better than someone who emphasises their ALP allegiance. This is the Gold Coast we are talking about, not Newcastle.

A Rudd victory will depend on people voting for the ALP who do not traditionally do so, and who do not feel any sense of allegiance to it. Popular appeal to voters is more important than any potentially ruffled feathers amongst ALP loyalists, especially in a seat where the Liberal candidate got 58.95% of the primary vote in 2004. The TPP then was 62.17/37.83. http://results.aec.gov.au/12246/results/HouseDivisionFirstPrefs-12246-171.htm

By: Kim

Kim — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 09:10:28 +0000

I’m sure, btw, that the good Councillor will make an interesting candidate once someone explains to him the rules of the federal game.

By: wpd

wpd — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 08:58:41 +0000

Steve your reference to Peter Johnstone is relevant in the current climate. His rant that:

anybody who couldn’t find work was a bludger and if they contacted his office he would tell them where the jobs were.

was typical. Hansard also recorded his outright condemnation of women who burnt their bras.

The media did not mention that his family company was in the business of importing and distributing you know what.

‘Conflicts of interest’ only surface when politically convenient.

By: leftist sock puppet

leftist sock puppet — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 01:20:50 +0000

Well, having just read her spray, Ms May seems to be a bit scared.

I mean, of course, someone from Southport couldn’t possibly understand the importance of the Gold Coast airport issues. Could they? I mean, it’s all of seven minutes away, isn’t it?

By: steve

steve — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 22:23:11 +0000

Thanks Kim, just had trouble getting my head around the concept and wondered if it was true or something someone had dreamt up. The latest has him being promised a big shopping list.

By: observa

observa — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 19:30:02 +0000

Perhaps it’s another sign too. Are our two major political parties too weak to be good at both the Federal and State level nowadays?

By: observa

observa — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 19:20:10 +0000

Tony Zappia,(link above) as mayor of Salisbury, was supposed to be a strong ALP candidate to wrest back a traditional Labor seat, after retiring Trish Draper had made it marginal liberal, due to some very hard work as a diligent local member. He has now given a glowing reference for a ‘high ranking Hells Angel’. That’s a bit of an understatement, because it doesn’t get any higher than the Sergeant at Arms in McKelliff’s case. What you also have to understand is that in SA, the Rann Govt has had a longstanding commitment to wipe out the drug dealing bikie gangs here, who were running the nightclub security industry(as well as some nightclubs) and peddling all the eccies and amphetamines. Rann has also vowed to close down all the bikie fortresses, but hasn’t managed to close one yet. (managed to get one Adelaide Hills bikie to pull all the security bars of his personal residence, the neighbours didn’t like) So you can see the dilemma now over Tony Zappia’s candidacy. Rudd backing him is probably not a wise idea in terms of the overall Adelaide electorate. Someone should have advised him about this and he should have demanded Zappia withdraw his candidacy. I’ve thought all along, the biggest handicap to Rudd making the Lodge, is the weakness of his Federal Party. Is this one of those bad signs?

By: Kim

Kim — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 13:38:09 +0000

I hope the Gold Coast Bulletin hasn’t been misleading people with the not ideologically aligned to any party line, is it? Or is there some genuine reason why they would make such a claim?

It’s a direct quote from the Councillor, steve.

By: steve

steve — Sun, 25 Mar 2007 12:15:55 +0000

Another classic was Peter Johnstone a Liberal Member who put his hand up to run in the Federal seat of Brisbane because noone else wanted to stand in an unwinnable seat.

He got swept into power in the anti Whitlam landslide and got up in parliament one day saying anybody who couldn’t find work was a bludger and if they contacted his office he would tell them where the jobs were.

His office when contacted the next day had no jobs,he just thought it was a good thing to say in parliament. I think he only lasted one term.