Ring in the new year with two months of accumulated news concerning preselections for the next federal election – not counting matters arising from Section 44, which will be dealt with in a separate post during the January lull in opinion poll news.
• After falling short in the Bennelong by-election, Kristina Keneally’s most immediate pathway to federal parliament is the Senate vacancy created by the resignation of Sam Dastyari. However, The Australian reports the position is being eyed by Tony Sheldon, national secretary of the Transport Workers Union, and Tara Moriarty, state secretary of United Voice – either in opposition to Keneally or in her absence, since it is not clear she would not prefer to await a lower house berth. The Canberra Times reports the looming creation of a third electorate for the Australian Capital Territory could present such an opportunity. Other possibilities mentioned for the new seat are Thomas McMahon, economic adviser to Bill Shorten; Taimus Werner-Gibbings, chief-of-staff to Tasmanian Senator Lisa Singh; Jacob Ingram, 23-year-old staffer to Chief Minister Andrew Barr; Jacob White, staffer to Fenner MP and Shadow Assistant Trade Minister Andrew Leigh; and Kim Fischer, former territory ministerial staffer and current communications consultant.
• Another soon-to-be-created seat has been central to factional convulsions in the Victorian ALP in recent months. As in the ACT, population growth has entitled Victoria to an extra seat, which is expected to be established in Melbourne’s booming and strongly Labor-voting north-east. The Construction Mining Forestry and Energy Union wants it to go to Jane Garrett, who recently failed in a bid to move from her state seat of Brunswick to the Legislative Council after losing a Left faction ballot. Garrett feared Brunswick would be lost to the Greens, in part because of the efforts of the United Firefighters Union, whose dispute with Garrett over a pay deal caused her resignation as Emergency Services Minister in 2016. In tandem with other “industrial Left” unions, the CFMEU has walked out of the Left, which is dominated by Senator Kim Carr, and sought an alliance with the Right, which looks likely to proceed with the blessing of Bill Shorten. This will mean an end to the long-standing “stability pact” between the Carr forces and the Right, which has protected members including Jenny Macklin in Jagajaga and Andrew Giles in Scullin. However, Shorten insists he will ensure no sitting members are threatened.
• With George Brandis resigning from his Queensland Senate seat to take up the popular posting of high commissioner in London, The Australian reports a big field of potential successors includes three names from state politics: Scott Emerson, the former Shadow Treasurer who lost his seat of Maiwar to the Greens; John-Paul Langbroek, a former Opposition Leader who remains the state member for Surfers Paradise, but was unsuccessful in the post-election leadership vote; and Lawrence Springborg, repeatedly unsuccessful state Opposition Leader who did not contest the election in November (who would presumably faces a difficulty in being from the Nationals). Also in the mix are Joanna Lindgren, who had an earlier stint in the Senate when she filled Brett Mason’s vacancy in May 2015, but was unsuccessful as the sixth candidate on the Liberal National Party ticket in 2016; Teresa Harding, director of the Queensland government’s open data policy and twice unsuccessful candidate for Blair; and Amanda Stoker, a barrister.
• Surf Coast councillor Libby Coker has again been preselected as Labor’s candidate for the Victorian seat of Corangamite, after winning a local party vote over Geelong businesswoman Diana Taylor by 116 votes to 39. Coker ran unsuccessfully in 2016 against Sarah Henderson, who gained the seat for the Liberals in 2013.
• Mehreen Faruqi, a state upper house member, was preselected to lead the Greens’ New South Wales ticket in late November, winning an online vote of party members by a margin variously identified as 1301 to 843, and 1032 to 742. The preselection took place against a backdrop of conflict between the more moderate environmentalist tendency associated with the parliamentary leadership and Rhiannon’s hard left base in New South Wales. Anne Davies of The Guardian observes that Rhiannon will face “intense pressure to step down early”, so Faruqi can fill her vacancy and raise her profile ahead of the election.
Labor has completed preselections for the brace of Liberal-held seats where it is now reckoned to be competitive in Western Australia, after the resurgence in its fortunes in the state – all of which have gone to women:
• Hannah Beazley, policy adviser to Mark McGowan and daughter of Kim Beazley, will run against Steve Irons in Swan, which her father held from 1980 to 1996 before seeking a safer refuge in Brand. Hannah Beazley ran unsuccessfully for the state seat of Riverton in 2013.
• Lauren Palmer of the Maritime Union of Australia has been selected to run against Ken Wyatt in Hasluck, winning out over the Left-backed Bill Leadbetter, a history lecturer who ran in the seat in 2016, and very briefly served in the state upper house earlier this year. This comes after the MUA threw its lot in with the now dominant Right (“Progressive Labor”) faction in pursuit of its oft-thwarted ambitions to establish a parliamentary power base, together with the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union.
• Decorated police superintendent and Left faction member Kim Travers has been chosen to run against newly anointed Attorney-General Christian Porter in Pearce. Sarah Martin of The West Australian reported Labor’s administrative committee knocked back a nomination from Ann O’Neill, a campaigner against domestic violence whose estranged husband shot her and murdered her two children in 1994, who had not been a party member for the required period and was not granted a waiver.
• A little further up the pendulum, Melita Markey, chief executive of the Asbestos Diseases Society, will run against Michael Keenan in Stirling, and Melissa Teede, former head of the Peel Development Commission, will run against Andrew Hastie in Canning.
Greece was always going to block Turkey’s ambitions to join the EU.
The Turks were never likely to adopt seriously the EU principles that would have stopped the Turks from, for example, trying to crush the Kurds culturally, economically and militarily.
IMO, the main issue for the Turks is (a) suppressing the Kurds and (b) regional hegemony v Iran v the Saudis.
Simon Katich
Which has been what they have told the Turks for ‘eons’. The current president just makes the EU’s continued “in the fullness of time” line a lot easier to “sell”.
Just had a 10 minute shower of rain after 2 hrs of thunder in Canberra.
Temp was around 30C at 3 o’clock, now 20C.
Very nice!
Will Turnbull and Dutton be campaigning against the NSW premier at the next election on the issue of violent gangs?
Ch 10 news had a lead item on a gang of three, described as caucasian, who have terrorised (policeman’s word) convenience stores in Sydney’s north-west.
The same gang is believed to have staged at least three armed robberies where victims have been injured.
Unfortunately we all know what will (not) happen on the political front.
I wonder if it’s a coincidence that the top two in the Presidential Vocabulary by Grade Level chart are both engineers?
I’m not surprised Truman is second last as I believe he never had the money to afford college.
B
you might be alone, but you should never feel lonely.
Clayton Thyne’s dataset classify it as a failed coup. Does that make it a Claytons Coup?
http://www.jonathanmpowell.com/coup-detat-dataset.html
Here’s a scathing MSM analysis of the Lib(s) GOvernments economic performance over the last 4 and a half years.
http://www.couriermail.com.au/rendezview/coalitions-lies-expose-economic-ineptitude/news-story/0f63919849815588859ba5aaa3d60693
That chart is pretty meaningless. What it describes is the language used to communicate to the public. It says a lot more about what the respective presidents may have thought about the capabilities of the audience (ie the general voting public) than of the capabilities of the various presidents.
Sure, Trump speaks like a child. We didn’t need a bogus analysis to tell us that.
Ctari and Simon and BW
What you say is true sorta but lets call a spade a spade. The EU open borders issue means that should Turkey join there would be no controls whatever on immigration from Muslims. Lets not pretend that Europe is sweeter and nicer than us. They are the same and there was no way in hell France or Greece was EVER going to welcome Turkey. What with the potential disintegration of the EU following Brexit and possibly Poxit they cannot allow in a large Muslim country.
The only thing keeping turkey on the hook was I think NATO pressure (aka USA and UK). With UK out and Trump being er well Trump, Europe is not going to be pressured even into pretending to keep Turkey in the loop.
In any case NATO would prefer Turkey run by compliant generals which means they cannot ever be part of Europe. So NATO may well be hoping for a return to autocracy.
Erdogan really has little choice but to cast his lot with Russia. Some US aligned generalissimo may swing back to NATO but it is an open question. Indeed could NATO invade Turkey? Given its strategic location the answer is probably YES!
bemused says:
Tuesday, January 9, 2018 at 5:02 pm
Simon Katich @ #3044 Tuesday, January 9th, 2018 – 4:56 pm
it seems as if Europe is about to finally say no to Turkey
The gist of the meeting wrt EU membership is ‘not yet’. Or, like what CTar1 was saying, not whilst Erdoğan keeps riding around on his despot, Islamist dog whistling horse.
Am I alone in suspecting the ‘coup’ was really a ‘fake coup’ to provide an excuse for what Erdogan has done since?
——————————————————-
I thought it was fishy as it was happening and nothing has emerged to change my mind.
Erdogan at work winning friends and influencing people –
https://www.sbs.com.au/news/be-careful-erdogan-lashes-out-at-french-reporter-over-syria-question
It is because of Greece we have the ludicrously named State – FYROM.
GDP – Greece $200B ; Turkey $900B
Debt % of GDP – Greece 180% ; Turkey 27%
Beware the Greeks, they are numbnuts
BC
While the discussion on use of language is interesting, is it not possibly also an indicator of capacity to win elections (inversely). After all we know that Clinton was a very smart well read cookie but still he is in the middle of the pack.
Hillary Clinton to narrate audoibook version of “Fire and Fury”!
http://pastichepost.com/2018/01/05/hillary-clinton-audiobook-fire-and-fury/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
http://pastichepost.com/2018/01/05/hillary-clinton-audiobook-fire-and-fury/amp/?__twitter_impression=true
This is why Matthew Guy is unfit to hold any power in Victoria. He’s already done this to Melbourne:
Urban Wronski @UrbanWronski · 10h10 hours ago
In July 2012, Mr Guy stunned the political and property worlds when he, in effect, doubled the size of the Melbourne CBD by rezoning a 250-hectare industrial area south-west of the CBD and dubbing it “Fishermans Bend”.
Guy’s “Capital City” zone triggered a huge hike in land values, a frenzy of high rise apartment applications and approvals, & windfall profits to landowners and speculators, such as Liberal party members and donors & federal treasurer Andrew Burnes, & developer Harry Stamoulis.
In a mountainous region of Greece I watched a bunged up rust bucket smoke belching bus being overtaken by a bunged up rustbucket 4WD as a bunged up smoke belching motorcycle overtook it…
on a bend on a narrow two lane road.
I was on the bus. I was so fear struck I nearly lost grip of the mint syrup soaked baklava i was ‘eating’.
One reason that Turkey joining the EU is not all that popular with German voters is Germany`s restrictive citizenship policy, whereby only since 2000 have people born in Germany to qualifying permanent residents gained citizenship by birth and they have to apply before they are 23 to retain it after they are 23 (to which conditions are attached). This means that a significant proportion of Germany`s German-born ethnic Turkish population are hereditary foreigners, rather than German citizens who can, if they so wish, vote for politicians in favour of Turkish membership of the EU.
Jackol @ #3055 Tuesday, January 9th, 2018 – 5:21 pm
Trump uses a lot of words that salesmen use to appeal to emotions.
He is basically a salesman, a huckster.
And he was good at what he does. Unfortunately.
For those interested my mail is the police raid on Bomber Thompson’s home is very serious matter.
So they werent there for memorabilia signing?
Simon Katich,
Your last post bought back memories.
In 1988 I caught a bus from Thessaloniki to Istanbul and decided to sit at the front to get the overall ” visual experience ” as I made my way into Turkey.
That situation lasted all of 60 minutes. In that 60 minutes my life flashed in front of my eyes approx 8-10 times as the driver delivered his impressive impersonation of a movie stunt driver. Swerving across the road, banging on his horn as he overtook on corners it was a terrifying experience.
I spent the rest of the trip in the second back seat determined that when ( not if ) my life came to a early end in the wilds of Turkey I would rather not know.
On the return trip, being a now experienced traveller, I immediately claimed the back seat of the bus, settled in and smoked a packet of cigarettes safe in th knowledge that if I survived the journey I was meant for better things .
Cheers.
Simon Katich @ #3067 Tuesday, January 9th, 2018 – 5:53 pm
Bomber Thompson has been arrested four days after his home was raided following a police investigation into alleged drug trafficking. @SkyNewsAust
Mark “Bomber” Thompson has been arrested in relation to alleged drug trafficking.
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/raid-on-mark-bomber-thompsons-home-part-of-drug-trafficking-investigation-20180109-h0fgr1.html
I hear road deaths in Greece has drastically reduced since I was there. Maybe the economic crash has caused them to use safer cars?
lizzie @ #3062 Tuesday, January 9th, 2018 – 5:36 pm
Guy will always have Philip island!
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/i-wasnt-told-matthew-guys-misadventures-with-liberal-donors-20170808-gxrhgb.html
John Quiggin tweeted a link to this yesterday:
http://johnquiggin.com/2018/01/08/decarbonizing-the-economy-is-easy-and-cheap/
Some of the comments are interesting.
BK @ #3070 Tuesday, January 9th, 2018 – 4:59 pm
Supplements ?
GG
From memory, the little Hunt assisted in the P.I. event, too.
VP
No, drugs of dependence. Bikies are involved and two of them are being held in custody.
Lookout!
Lizzie
Im in the firing line!
#weatheronPB
BK
From the article –
The picture of the car shows the number plate is ‘ONBA1L’.
Accurate reporting … You’d think if they’re going to mention a detail like this they’d get it right.
CTar1
Indeed!
I wonder what was the nature of the transaction through which said bikie acquired said Benz.
Too late Lizzie, we copped it biggly an hour ago in Jervis Bay
IoM – The storm heading for Woolongong / Kiama will be the same one we had in Canberra a couple of hours ago.
Lots of thunder and then about 5mm of rain. Will be a bit different when it nears to coast.
BK – A powder substance?
Nelly Yoa sounds like he is having trouble separating fact from fiction about his life. He has certainly mightily embarrassed the editor of the Age and inadvertently undermined the Turnbull/Guy/Murdoch assault on the Victorian premier.
Yoa was interviewed by Huffington Post and this story was repeated by news.com.au
http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2018/01/08/nelly-yoa-stands-by-his-story-despite-days-of-denials_a_23327019/
http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/nelly-yoa-stands-by-football-claim-despite-controversy/news-story/59ef69e4372aedfef33fdefe89a3e937
From the HuffPost article: “Yoa also denied claims circulating on social media that he was employed by a Liberal Party politician in Melbourne.” Can we believe what he says or not?
BK @ #3080 Tuesday, January 9th, 2018 – 6:34 pm
It’s far worse than that comrade!
GG
Sorry, I don’t get your drift.
bc @ #3073 Tuesday, January 9th, 2018 – 6:05 pm
They certainly are – because they highlight the fact that the UK “decarbonized” by transitioning from coal to gas.
Australia could and should do the same.
BK @ #3086 Tuesday, January 9th, 2018 – 6:58 pm
I can’t say anything because I might say something.
But, watch the space!
The news is plokho comrades.
Root gets the shits, Thommo gets busted, iguanas are falling out of the trees with frostbite, and p1 has the world’s only holier-than-thou nuclear-powered eco-bunker.
GG does Wow!
Doyley – You must have been very keen on visiting Instantbul to do it on a normal transport bus over 600 or so klms!
Frustration across Sydney’s train network. People restricted from entering platforms at Wynyard train station. Trains cancelled again due to a driver shortage. Video filmed by 7 News viewer Matthew Green. #SydneyTrains #7News
The transportation debacle in Sydney is getting worse and worse. Some trains are sitting at stations for 15 minutes stationery, crammed with passengers.
Meanwhile Gladys B is pissing billions away on eyesore WestConnex, a new tram system which has kept the CBD and Eastern Suburbs looking like a bombed out Aleppo for seemingly years, and even more billions to knock down 2 sporting venues!
The punters are reaching for the baseball bats.
Boerwar @ #3090 Tuesday, January 9th, 2018 – 7:05 pm
BW does WooF!
Boerwar @ #3089 Tuesday, January 9th, 2018 – 7:04 pm
And doesn’t it irritate the crap out of you! 🙂
Sprocket ~ @ #3092 Tuesday, January 9th, 2018 – 7:10 pm
Is the Sydney stuff weather related or a techncial snafu.
We in Melbourne had an almighty Train failure last year due to a technical problem!
Furious Sydney commuters are demanding refunds from Transport for NSW this evening after an “apocalyptic” two-days on the city’s congested rail network.
More than 6 per cent of Sydney’s train drivers have allegedly chucked a sickie today, leading to major delays and mass congestion across the city’s rail services, leaving thousands of commuters stuck on platforms for hours this afternoon.
Over the entire afternoon, angry commuters jammed onto train platforms and were unable to board carriages which resembled sardine tins.
Others travellers reported having to wait more than 40 minutes onboard trains between Newtown and Redfern.
An unprepared and under resourced Sydney Trains responded by cancelling services and seconding buses to cope with the stranded crowds.
Sydney Trains took to Twitter over the afternoon to keep frustrated commuters up-to-date on the “major delays” on seven of the eight Sydney rail lines, which they claim was due to staff availability and earlier incidents.
GG
Blame being thrown at the rail workers -6% FFS on sickies. They are down to the bone with staffing, no surge capacity, and the roads are rooted with all the senseless road and tram building.