I’m pretty sure, as I’ve mentioned before, that I was the first to dub Queensland’s National Party leader the Borg when I was covering the Queensland state campaign for Crikey in 2006.
Now have a look at Laurence’s new website banner.
He’s stolen our bridge!
Note also the Liberal blue. The Nationals’ Green is entirely absent from his increasingly self-centred branding. And he’s obviously trying to position himself as an urban (and urbane) man. Sharp suit, no tie in a lot of the pics, new haircut, and symbols of Brisbane surrounding him constantly. The moleskins and the rural signifiers have been banished.
Ha, on the point of personal marketing and image making, if you do a google for Queensland Labor politicians, you still quite often come up with results from the old ‘Team Beattie’ website. Which is both self-centred and anachronistic!
You don’t reckon maybe his friends at high school called him that?
He’s got a bridge he’d like to sell you…!
When did he start being proud of being called The Borg?
Fresh young leader Springborg and I are the same age – or to be more precise, I’m one day older. Being 40, he would have finished high school in 1984 (if you were born in Queensland before the end of Feb, you started school at age 4 back then). I can assure you the Borg weren’t on Star Trek in 1984!
Tim, after his leaderly resurrection earlier this year.
As to “Team Beattie”, at least Pete knew which party he was leading!
Hmmm…same age, same website design. Have you two ever been seen in the same room together, Mark?
Mark @ 1:27 pm, it’s how you feel that counts Mark!
Tally room, Mercurius, in 2006 on election night!
Helen @ 3:
No, he’s only got half a bridge.
I’ve been thinking the Springborg billboard on Bowen Bridge Rd with its tagline “The future of Queensland has a face”. There’s plenty of empty blue space in which one could write “as smooth as a baby’s bottom” or “like your dad used to have”.
The Borg wants you to know that he hasn’t burnt his bridges…yet.
With only 50 -60% of the Nationals voting in the Pineapple party poll, it made me wonder how accurate are the Nats rolls of members in Queensland?
It reminds me of when Jupiters Casino was floated with very restrictive numbers of shares available per person. People began registering the stud bulls, rams, and even racehorse nicknames in order to get more shares allocated to their address.
1. It’s only half of the bridge. Looks more like a springboarg.
I bet there’s a storey behind that…
2. The proof that he knows what he’s talking about would be the line:
“Assimilated, we’ll build a better Queensland”. But people might misconstrue that. Check out his immigration speeches…
3. And the real acid test re. what’s going on with the blue will be whether on-the-ground Nats and Libs are confused by the colour scheme as to the Borg’s party affiliation. Maybe he just heard that a blue background was the best way to achieve a special effect?
4. Anyway: kudos to Mark if he was the one wot done the Borgification…
Still no substantial policy in sight.
The Pineapple Party has a new name.
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/national/nelson-backs-off-endorsing-merge/2008/05/10/1210131320603.html
Hah, the “Liberal National Party of Queensland”. How can they be “national” if they’re only in existance in one state? Are they implying, by the ordering of party names, that the other National Party is not very liberal?
If they’re going to be led by the ‘Borg, they should just go with “The Collective”. I don’t even see what would be so bad about going by the name “The Coalition”.
Can the Qld Libs avoid the inevitable splitting process now that the Pineapple Party has morphed into the Pineapple and Chicken Party?
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/queensland/merger-set-to-split-qld-liberals/2008/05/10/1210131327872.html