Bracks’ Poison Pawn Kingmaker
For a political party to run a none-too-bright candidate in an unwinnable electorate might be an embarrassment – but what are we going to call it when a political party leaves a safe seat in the hands of a candidate who is under investigation by the Fraud Squad?
That’s precisely the situation in the western suburbs seat of Keilor, held for Labor by George Seitz.
On the same day that The Age’s Farrah Tomazin delighted Andrew Landeryou with her report on Labor’s anti-Baillieu ads, the paper ran this report on Seitz by Michael Bachelard and Mathew Murphy:
STEVE Bracks is standing by Keilor MP George Seitz as the fraud squad investigates allegations that he misappropriated hundereds of thousands of dollars in gambling money.
…
An ALP strategist warned that the Government should not take Keilor votes for granted. But others said appearing unified in the lead-up to the election was more important than taking firm action on Mr Seitz.
Seitz isn’t noted as a star performer, either in Parliament or as a representative of his electorate. Where he does star is as a deft apparatchik, branch-stacker and mangler of the English language:
My branch uses the party rules for people to join and it has done since time immorial and uses a common sense approach instead of having to be a Philadelphia lawyer procedure.
Anti labor elements operating out of head office should be removed and there should be a cleansing of those people who have constantly provided ammunition to the Liberal party and genuine people that work everyday and defend the Labor movement that are not on the payroll and have no personal gains but satisfaction to support and promote the labor movement and the working class should be rewarded and embraced and encouraged in the movement and not be priced out of the Labor movement and forced out by a technicality rules and regulations implemented by would be, wanna be lawyers.
(From The Age)
I’ve actually received one letter from George Seitz myself. Shortly after The Age ran its exposé on his hold over the Keilor electorate, and the sway it gives him within the Labor Party, I got a letter – as a member of one of the People’s Republic of Moreland branches – telling me that I was required to attend a special meeting of one of the Keilor branches. The meeting was to discuss how George was being screwed in the media and within the Party, naturally. The tone of the letter reminded me of this section of Debrett’s Correct Form:
All invitations from The Queen are commands, and a reply should be so worded …
That said, even her Maj’s flunkies, when they’re sending out those commands, have the courtesy to phrase them as requests.
Silly me, I threw the letter away. I didn’t go to the meeting either. Call me a would be, wanna be lawyer if you like, but I can’t recall any ALP rule under which I can be required to attend special meetings called by MPs outside my local electorate.
I’d enjoy hearing from any readers who have actually kept a few communiques from Seitz.
This is what I don’t get about the Victorian ALP. In any other state, this guy would be toast. Beattie dumped an MP who was up on child sex charges without too much ado. Same with MPs who were involved in electoral fraud. And he got kudos from the electorate for doing so – cleaning the stables, etc. It enabled him to position himself against the machine and the rorters.
Why can’t Bracks do the same?
How powerful are these branch-stacking warlords? What interests would be undermined if Seitz was dumped?
I’m feeling neglected now.
As a member of a branch in the above mentioned People’s Republic I have never recieved a letter from George. Should I be worried????
Or should I thank my lucky stars?
Seitz is a classic example of the dross now in the ALP – he has stacked his branch to the point whre he can intimidate the Premier. Of course the real villians are the ordinary rank and file members in the est who still work to keep Steiz in power and dont have the guts to boycott handing out how to votes and letterboxing. Bracks needs Steiz as a bulwark against crazy Senator Carr’s SL biffo boys who hate Bracks and his catholic stand on social issues and cozying up to business.
Interesting question Kim – in Seitz’ case the answer is powerful enough to hang onto his preselection, because he has numbers he can swing to pre-selecting others in the Federal sphere.
But what is it about the Victorian ALP? Don’t go giving me ideas for new posts. I’m already swamped as it is.
There is a small clique that runs the state and its power comes from branch stacking and the right. It’s a bit like the federales that way.
Not much to do with democratic socialism but there you go.
Libertarian socialism looks like the only real opposition – the very worst ideology is anarchism…apart from all the others.
Just as a sidebar on rolled gold frauds. Has anyone done any in-depth reporting on the Peter Foster of local politics Stephen Jolly?
Jolly links to a set of hard-core liars and entrists in the UK who are obviously left fascists and he ran such a dogmatic and fanatical line on East Timor recently that he even was willing to ignore cries for help from the few Marxists left in Timor Leste!
This guy is such a red fascist loser he even went on the Jon Faine show.
Dumb and dumber rolled into one.
Part of the problem of having such a dominant lunar right faction system in the ALP, I feel, is that it grew up in response to the excess’s of the Stephen Jollies on the lunar left. Just a hunch, keep up the good work on frauds in politics – its a never ending story!
It amazes me that the ALP faithful who populate this site stil reckon their party is the answer – its a corrupt organisation that perpetuates a professional political class who end up alientating the poeple thay are supposed to reresent. Crean is a classic.
Crean did some vital work toward reforming the party.
Anyway, constipated clown, it’s very easy to look on from the outside and throw aspersions about the party being corrupt – it’s a lot more difficult to get involved and actually work towards fixing it.
The ALP may not be perfect, but no political organisation ever is.
Would you care to suggest for whom we should vote instead?
CC, the Liberal Party has a similar share of ugly branch-stackers in its upper houses. Have you ever heard of David Clarke?
It’s the same mit Die Grunen, let me tell you. Every branch meeting quickly degenerates into an ugly stand-off between the various factions and their hired stackees. Punches are thrown, blood is gespillt.
I’ve got no idea who to vote for Rebekka.
I’m sure Democrats meetings are very civilised… hang on…
WBB, that’s because the Greens don’t have much influence yet.
Wait until they start acquiring some real power and see the careerists and the purely self-interested show up in droves.
if you really think RM that the Greens will go the same way as the alp and allow its principles to be traded for careers you have a very shallow knowledge of the party that wil throw out Browny Pike on Nov 25
Ansteybranchopolous has a point about the Greens. The party is all about the grassroots and policies and other decisions are made with consensus from the party. All members have access to the decision making process. It is true that as a party we will need to tread carefully to avoid imploding like the Democrats or in becoming corrupt and moving so far away from our original principles that we are no longer recognisable like the ALP. I am proud to be a Green because the party stands for open, honest and accountable government. We do not preach popular politics but put forward policies that ensure a substainable future. I am passionate about what the Greens stand for-fresh voices and new ideas in politics. I for one, will be voting 1 Greens on November 25th. Stand up and show you do not appreciate Seitz’s brand of branch stacking politics.
Still crowing Peter about Bronwyn Pike – oh what’s that – the Greens failed to dislodge her.
I guess all your careerists types will have to stick to manipulating upper house and senate preselections then…..