Comments on: Michael Costa sacked [Update: Iemma Resigns]

By: murph the surf

murph the surf — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 03:17:36 +0000

“Sartor and Tripodi won’t go because that would require more decency than either has,…..”
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From this morning’s SMH -”Joe Tripodi retains Ports and Waterways, and Regulatory Reform, but adds the title of Finance Minister and Infrastructure Minister.”
Oh lucky state – no possibility of corruption now it there?
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Lee Rhiannon commented this morning that unless you get rid of Obeid and Tripodi nothing will change.This is a hopeless and cynical start for Rees but I guess he is powerless to do otherwise. Where is the blogger who will go after Obeid?

By: Peter Fisher

Peter Fisher — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:24:47 +0000

“Has there been a cartoon yet on the Garbo tipping out Iemma and Costa?”

LOL That’s a great idea!

By: Don Wigan

Don Wigan — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:22:03 +0000

Has there been a cartoon yet on the Garbo tipping out Iemma and Costa?

By: Andrew E

Andrew E — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 06:43:09 +0000

Electricity privatisation was first sold as a boost to infrastructure that wouldn’t derail the budget, and now it has derailed the budget. Costa is a blowhard and Iemma is a loser for being the one person in NSW other than the said editorial-writer who couldn’t see through him.

Trouble is that there are about a dozen dead-wood ministers in the NSW government. Apart from David Borger and Virginia Judge, there is nobody who could really make the case that they deserve a place ahead of someone already there. Tanya Gadiel is your garden-variety hack and for her to become a minister would be six-of-one, half-a-dozen etc., exactly the image Rees would not hope to convey.

Rees can’t rely on being a staffer as a substitute for political experience. He gets shouty when he’s rattled and I do not believe him on Orkopolous. This is a brittle government and you need a cuddly bridge-builder after so much blood has been spilt: Rees is about as cuddly as a brown snake. Let us have no vision bullshit: get the trains working and stop the hospitals haemorrhaging Nathan, and Labor might be in with a chance. Yep, do the right thing: it’s the only thing Labor hasn’t tried.

After the byelections for Ryde and Port Macquarie the Coalition will have two more seats, Sartor and Tripodi won’t go because that would require more decency than either has, the ministry will be coming to terms with their new portfolios, and O’Farrell will do them slowly.

Sam@6: yeah, and do what?

Chookie@35: “Interesting that Rees & Tebbutt headed straight off to be sworn in — our Governor is away, so the duty devolved to the Chief Justice. Wonder were they thinking that they’d better move fast before the boofheads on the Right get themselves sorted out?” – very Whitlam & Barnard if you ask me, except without the bold decision-making.

By: Shaun

Shaun — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 02:16:23 +0000

You'd be forgiven if you thought today's SMH editorial was written by Costa.

By: Phil

Phil — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 01:22:55 +0000

Let the culture war framing begin! Caroline Overington.

THE new Premier of NSW is an extreme left-wing union organiser and former garbo, whose clearest and most traumatic childhood memory is the sacking of the Whitlam government.

By: dk.au

dk.au — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:46:12 +0000

Iemma's Untergang Made 3 months ago! (via Peter Martin)

By: Chookie

Chookie — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 21:25:49 +0000

Alastair, I thought the desal contracts had been signed ages ago.
RE policy: I have a librarian’s view of the world, I suppose, but a lot of the trouble in Health, DOCS and Transport in particular seems to me to come down to information not being shared effectively, plus some ineptitude at senior levels (Chicken? Egg?) and sometimes just poor structures. The relationship between Transport and the RTA needs to be looked at, for example, and I have no doubt that there is trouble sharing information between DOCS, Education, Health and Justice, which is a huge problem for those people who have multiple difficulties in life.

By: Alastair

Alastair — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:51:04 +0000

Rees confirmed that they’ll go ahead with the Desalination Plant. Sydney’s dam levels are above 65% full. To go ahead with this project would be an outrageous waste of money, energy and cause water bills to rise uneccessarily.

By: Alastair

Alastair — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:11:20 +0000

It’s good news that Costa and Iemma are now gone. However, what really matters to me are the policies that are implemented. If it’s going to be more of the same in terms of policy (and I sincerely hope that it isn’t), then this change of leadership will just be window dressing.

By: SJ

SJ — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:59:41 +0000

WTF? On ABC Stateline a few minutes ago, Quentin asked Rees about the privatisation.

Rees repeated what he’d said earlier, “Parliament and the people have already spoken on that issue”, which I would have interpreted as meaning that the issue was dead.

But then he added “Retail privatisation will go ahead”.

By: joe2

joe2 — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:15:12 +0000

Uncle Festa got sacked, Lurch resigned and now we have ‘thing’.

By: Lang Mack

Lang Mack — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:44:29 +0000

#36,I’ll go along with that..

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 08:10:19 +0000

Awesome day.

Leadership is a quality entirely separate, but until that’s been proved I’ll take a garbo and “life experience” over an isolated lawyer feeding off others’ minds and doings any day, on account of that phrase being used confidently alone.

Bring on less, pretty, articulate, words, and let’s have some quality NSW rumble – action – where it matters.

By: Chookie

Chookie — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:43:22 +0000

Been listening to ABC Sydney this arvo (and making the Geek’s birthday cake). John Watkins claims that Iemma was rolled by members of his faction because they were the deadwood facing demotion. Of course Watkins isn’t part of that faction, but it wouldn’t be too hard to work out the names. The Right didn’t have a replacement for Iemma, hence the unanimous election of a Left member. This is a problem of the Right in general; they simply don’t do succession planning. Neither did the NSW Liberal Party, and that’s why they’ve been so long in opposition.

And the really good news is that Rees has confirmed at his press conference that Costa will not be in the new Cabinet. Of course, it would have been electoral suicide to keep him!

Interesting that Rees & Tebbutt headed straight off to be sworn in — our Governor is away, so the duty devolved to the Chief Justice. Wonder were they thinking that they’d better move fast before the boofheads on the Right get themselves sorted out?

By: steve h

steve h — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:41:39 +0000

Oh god….someone mentioned Sartor and Health in the same sentence…?!
I can just see it…patient lying on a stretcher in the bus shelter outside a crowded hospital…in the background
Frank Sartor is explaining how the new method of using buses to transfer critical patients is leading to an “optimisation of health resources with attendent synergies”.
/derail
Sorry everyone, did my review the other day and got a bit lost in the wank-word bingo.
/rerail
Guess he could follow his current style of planning and sell all the public hospitals to whomever contributes the most…$ that is…
/end of sarcasm

By: amused

amused — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:23:19 +0000

Fast Eddie will be going sooon, and Tripodi? Well you don’t need a weatherman to see which way the wind is blowing. Watch who emerges as the Right’s factional front man. It won’t be the man from Orange Grove.

Woo hoo.

By: murph the surf

murph the surf — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:50:21 +0000

From the SMH link – ” It is understood the right- wing powerbrokers Joe Tripodi and Eddie Obeid were orch-estrating a spill last night to have the Community Services Minister, Kevin Greene, Planning Minister, Frank Sartor, and Lands Minister, Tony Kelly, dumped to make way for right-wing rising stars Michael Daley, Tanya Gadiel and Steve Whan. Mr Tripodi denied he was pushing for cabinet changes.

Regardless, Mr Sartor will be removed from planning and could be given the health portfolio, while Eric Roozendaal is expected to keep roads. Kristina Keneally and Verity Firth will be promoted.”
‘
So what has really changed if Fast Eddie Obeid is still the power broker? Nothing except the mask used to hide the hideous face of the NSW RIGHT Faction.

By: amused

amused — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:33:50 +0000

Yes well. There is nothing like the spectre of eminent (political) death to concentrate the mind. Minds have been concentrated very sharply in the NSW Parliamentary ALP, particularly since the announcement of a by-eleciton in the seat of Ryde in around six weeks time, and they have taken the necessary steps.

The political executions announced today should concentrate parliamentary minds in the ALP for a while. Less a case of ’shoot one-educate thousands-as shoot three and educate four whole political generations.

By: Phil

Phil — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:39:51 +0000

Apparently Rees was a member of the Parramatta Cycling Club in the 80’s and 90’s and a pretty good bike racer, something Sarah Palin is not, so he’s totally qualified to be Premier.