On reflection, my previous post, intended as the first in a series of “Call of the Board” posts reviewing in detail the result of the May 18 election, was deficient in two aspects. The first is that patterns in the results estimated by my demographic model were said to be “difficult to discern”, which can only have been because I didn’t look hard enough. In fact, the results provide evidence for remarkably strong incumbency effects. Of the 12 Liberals defending their seats in the Sydney area, all but Tony Abbott outperformed the modelled estimate of the Liberal two-party vote, by an average of 4.0%. Of the 15 Labor members, all but two (Julie Owens in Parramatta and Anne Stanley in Werriwa) outperformed the model, the average being 3.4%.
The other shortcoming of the post was that it did not, indeed, call the board – a now-abandoned ritual of election night broadcasting in which the results for each electorate were quickly reviewed in alphabetical order at the end of the night, so that nobody at home would feel left out. You can find this done for the Sydney seats over the fold, and it will be a feature of the Call of the Board series going forward.
Banks (Liberal 6.3%; 4.8% swing to Liberal): After winning the seat for the Liberals in 2013 for the first time since its creation in 1949, David Coleman has now scored three wins on the trot, the latest by comfortably his biggest margin to date: 6.3%, compared with 2.8% in 2013 and 1.4% in 2016. In a post-election account for the Age/Herald, Michael Koziol reported that Labor’s national secretariat and state branch were at loggerheads over the seat late in the campaign, with the former wishing to devote resources to the seat, and the latter recognising that they “didn’t stand a chance”.
Barton (Labor 9.4%; 1.1% swing to Labor): Located around the crossover point where the inner urban swing to Labor gave way to the outer urban swing to Liberal, Barton recorded a slight swing to Labor that was perhaps boosted by a sophomore effect for incumbent Linda Burney.
Bennelong (Liberal 6.9%; 2.8% swing to Labor): A fair bit has been written lately about Labor’s struggles with the Chinese community, particularly in New South Wales, but that did not stop the nation’s most Chinese electorate recording a reasonably solid swing to Labor. This perhaps reflected the quality of Labor’s candidate, neurosurgeon Brian Owler, but was also typical of a seat where Malcolm Turnbull had played well in 2016, when it swung 2.8% to the Liberals.
Berowra (Liberal 15.6%; 0.8% swing to Labor): Most of this outer northern Sydney seat is in the outer part of the zone that swung to Labor, barring a few lightly populated regions out north and west. However, Liberal member Julian Leeser is what I will call a half-sophomore – a first-term incumbent, but one who succeeded a member of the same party (in this case Philip Ruddock), so there was no reversal of the sitting member advantage. So the 0.8% swing to Labor is about par for the course.
Blaxland (Labor 14.7%; 4.8% swing to Liberal): The anti-Labor swing suffered by Jason Clare was fairly typical for Sydney’s south-west.
Bradfield (Liberal 16.6%; 4.5% swing to Labor): Apart from the exceptional cases of Warringah and Wentworth, this was the biggest swing against the Liberals in New South Wales. However, given it was only fractionally lower in neighbouring North Sydney, that’s unlikely to be a reflection on sitting member Paul Fletcher, instead reflecting the electorate’s affluence and proximity to the city. The seat also recorded the state’s biggest swing to the Greens, at 2.0%.
Chifley (Labor 12.4%; 6.8% swing to Liberal): Ed Husic suffered Labor’s biggest unfavourable swing in Sydney (and the second biggest in the state after Hunter), after enjoying the second biggest favourable swing in 2016 (after Macarthur).
Cook (Liberal 19.0%; 3.6% swing to Liberal): As noted in the previous post, Scott Morrison enjoys the biggest Liberal margin in New South Wales relative to what might be expected from the electorate’s demographic composition. Only part of this can be explained by a prime ministership effect, as his 3.6% swing ranked only twelfth out of the 47 seats in New South Wales.
Dobell (Labor 1.5%; 3.3% swing to Liberal): The two seats on the Central Coast behaved similarly to most of suburban Sydney in swinging solidly to the Liberals, but there was enough padding on the Labor margin to save Emma McBride in Dobell, a marginal seat that lands Labor’s way more often than not.
Fowler (Labor 14.0%; 3.5% swing to Liberal): Labor’s Chris Hayes suffered a swing unremarkable by the standards of western Sydney, or perhaps slightly at the low end of average.
Grayndler (Labor 16.3% versus Greens; 0.5% swing to Labor): As illustrated in the previous post, Anthony Albanese’s personal popularity continues to define results in Grayndler, where the Labor margin is well out of proportion to demographic indicators. Whereas the Greens hold the largely corresponding state seats of Balmain and Newtown, in Grayndler they struggle to harness enough of the left-of-centre vote to finish ahead of the Liberals. They just managed it on this occasion, as they had previously in 2010 and 2016, outpolling the Liberals 22.6% to 21.8% on the primary vote, narrowing to 24.2% to 23.8% after the exclusion of three other candidates. Albanese cleared 50% of the primary vote for the first time since 2007, helped by a smaller field of candidates than last time, and had a locally typical 1.5% two-party swing against the Liberals.
Greenway (Labor 2.8%; 3.5% swing to Liberal): The swing against Labor’s Michelle Rowland was typical for middle suburbia, and roughly reversed the swing in her favour in 2016.
Hughes (Liberal 9.8%; 0.5% swing to Liberal): Craig Kelly did rather poorly to gain a swing of only 0.5% – as a careful look at the results map shows, the boundary between Hughes and Cook marks a distinct point where Labor swings turn to Liberal ones. The demographic model suggests Kelly to be the third most poorly performing Liberal incumbent out of the 13 in the Sydney area, ahead of Tony Abbott (Warringah) and Lucy Wicks (Robertson).
Kingsford Smith (Labor 8.8%; 0.2% swing to Labor): It was noted here previously that Matt Thistlethwaite strongly outperforms the demographic model, but the near status quo result on this occsion did little to contribute to that. This seat was roughly on the geographic crossover point between the Labor swings of the city and the Liberal swings of the suburbs.
Lindsay (LIBERAL GAIN 5.0%; 6.2% swing to Liberal): One of five seats lost by Labor at the election, and the only one in Sydney. Like the others, Lindsay was gained by Labor in 2016, with Emma Husar scoring a 1.1% margin from a 4.1% swing. This was more than reversed in Husar’s absence, with Liberal candidate Melissa McIntosh prevailing by 5.0%. The 6.2% swing against Labor was the biggest in the Sydney area, and produced a Liberal margin comparable to Jackie Kelly’s strongest.
Macarthur (Labor 8.4%; 0.1% swing to Labor): To repeat what was said in the previous post: Labor strongly outpolled the demographic model in Macarthur, a seat the Liberals held from 1996 until 2016, when Russell Matheson suffered first an 8.3% reduction in his margin at a redistribution, and then an 11.7% swing to Labor’s Michael Freelander, a local paediatrician. The swing to Labor, tiny though it was, ran heavily against the trend of urban fringe seats across the country. In addition to Freelander’s apparent popularity, this probably reflected a lack of effort put into the Liberal campaign compared with last time, as the party narrowly focused on its offensive moves in Lindsay and Macquarie and defensive ones in Gilmore and Reid. Macarthur was one of six seats in New South Wales contested by One Nation, whose 8.6% seemed to be drawn equally from Labor and Liberal.
Mackellar (Liberal 13.2%; 2.5% swing to Labor): Jason Falinski’s northern beaches seat participated in the swing to Labor in inner and northern Sydney, though in this case it was a fairly modest 2.5%, perhaps reflecting Falinski’s half-sophomore effect. A 12.2% vote for independent Alice Thompson caught most of the combined 14.9% for three independents in 2016, leaving the large parties’ vote shares little changed.
Macquarie (Labor 0.2%; 2.0% swing to Liberal): A sophomore surge for Labor member Susan Templeman surely made the difference here, with the 2.0% swing to the Liberals being below the outer urban norm, and just short of what was required to take the seat.
McMahon (Labor 6.6%; 5.5% swing to Liberal): The swing against Chris Bowen was well at the higher end of the scale and, typically for such a result, followed a strong swing the other way in 2016, in this case of 7.5%. This was among the six seats in New South Wales contested by One Nation, whose 8.3% contributed to a 7.4% primary vote swing against Bowen, and perhaps also to the size of the two-party swing.
Mitchell (Liberal 18.6%; 0.8% swing to Liberal): Where most safe Liberal seats in Sydney were in the zone of inner and northern Sydney that swung to Labor, Mitchell is far enough west to encompass the crossover point where Labor swings gave way to Liberal ones. This translated into a modest 0.8% swing to Liberal member Alex Hawke, and very little change on the primary vote.
North Sydney (Liberal 9.3%; 4.3% swing to Labor): Trent Zimmerman’s seat caught the brunt of the inner urban swing to Labor, the 4.3% swing to Labor being the state’s fourth highest after Warringah, Wentworth and Bradfield, the latter of which just shaded it. Labor managed a hefty 8.3% gain on the primary vote, largely thanks to the absence of Stephen Ruff, who polled 12.8% as an independent in 2016. The one independent on this occasion was serial candidate Arthur Chesterfield-Evans, a former Democrats member of the state upper house, who managed only 4.4%.
Parramatta (Labor 3.5%; 4.2% swing to Liberal): Parramatta marks the crossover point where the Liberal swing in western Sydney begins, producing a 4.2% swing against Labor’s Julie Owens that only partly unwound the 6.4% swing she picked up in 2016.
Reid (Liberal 3.2%; 1.5% swing to Labor): The Liberals maintained their remarkable record in this seat going back to 2013, when they won it for the first time in the seat’s history, by limiting the swing to Labor to a manageable 1.5%. While the 3.2% margin is only modestly higher than that predicted by the demographic model, it was achieved despite the departure of two-term sitting member Craig Laundy, who is succeeded by Fiona Martin.
Robertson (Liberal 4.2%; 3.1% swing to Liberal): Similarly to neighbouring Dobell, the Central Coast seat of Robertson swung 3.1% to the Liberals, in this case boosting the margin of Lucy Wicks.
Sydney (Labor 18.7%; 3.4% swing to Labor): The inner urban swing to Labor added further padding to Tanya Plibersek’s margin. The Greens continue to run third behind the Liberals, who outpolled them by 26.6% to 18.1%. As is the case in Grayndler, this presumably reflects local left-wing voters’ satisfaction with the incumbent.
Warringah (INDEPENDENT GAIN 7.2% versus Liberal): Zali Steggall took a big chunk out of the big party contenders in recording 43.5% of the primary vote, but the largest of course came from Tony Abbott, down from 51.6% to 39.0%. Abbott won four booths around Forestville at the northern end of the electorate, but it was otherwise a clean sweep for Steggall. She particularly dominated on the coast around Manly, by margins ranging from 10% to 18%.
Watson (Labor 13.5%; 4.1% swing to Liberal): In a familiar suburban Sydney pattern, Tony Burke had an 8.8% swing in his favour from 2016 unwound by a 4.1% swing to the Liberals this time.
Wentworth (Liberal 1.3% versus Independent): Listed as a Liberal retain in a spirit of consistently comparing results from the 2016 election, this was of course a Liberal gain to the extent that it reversed their defeat at the hands of independent Kerryn Phelps at last October’s by-election. There was an unblemished divide between the northern end of the electorate, encompassing the coast north of Bondi and all but the westernmost part of the harbourside, where the Liberals won the two-candidate vote, and the southern end of the electorate, where Phelps did. As noted in the previous post, there was a swing to Labor of 7.9% on the two-party preferred count, but this was testament more than anything to Malcolm Turnbull’s local support.
Werriwa (Labor 5.5%; 2.7% swing to Liberal): A half-sophomore effect for Labor’s Anne Watson may have helped limit the swing here in this outer suburban seat.
Simon Katich @ #1348 Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 – 6:15 pm
Nope. HG Nelson, for mine. 🙂
And, yes, I know, Grieg Pickhaver is originally a Kiwi but he now calls Wagstaff home. 🙂
Alvin Purple lives down the road as well.
Didn’t Spike Milligan describe Woy Woy as the earths only above ground graveyard.
Woy Woy, so good they named it twice 🙂
Simon Katich @ #1341 Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 – 6:01 pm
🙂
mikehilliard @ #1354 Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 – 6:22 pm
Yep. 🙂
I am from Alan Keith Davidson patch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7FEcLTdDZk
Also, the last Australian to win the Australian Open mens tennis was from Gosford.
I’m reading Murphy’s comment on the Drum that the PM’s been “forward leaning” in his dealings with pushing bills through Parliament as he’s been a bully.
Meanwhile in Victoria…
https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/not-so-progressive-labors-puzzling-local-council-proposal,12917
At state government level, there is bipartisan support to not reform the upper house voting system and abolish group voting tickets.
Long may democracy prosper!
The BHP CEO in London…
mikehilliard
His body language in QT was also totally negative from what I saw. Murphy suggested he needs to dial it back a bit or he’ll alienate some that he later needs as allies (I won’t say friends.)
sprocket_ @ #1362 Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 – 6:41 pm
However, this guy and his god are standing in the way:
https://theaimn.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/coal.jpeg
Simon Katich @ #1359 Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 – 6:30 pm
Pat Rafter?
I liked the Labor QT approach today of asking every question to the befuddled Angus Taylor – PVO spent the best part of his Ch10 News item on how effective it was targeting the weaker ministers.
PVO suggested Stuart Robert May be next.
lizzie
Interesting, I can’t bear to watch him and get my QT info from the Guardian live feed when I can.
Perhaps Albanese has a workable idea to bring out the real ScoMo. You know, give him enough rope…
Geoff Gallop – 27th Premier of Western Australia, from 2001 to 2006 during a 20-year career in state parliament. He is currently Emeritus Professor, Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney, having served as Director of the Graduate School of Government until 2015
Effective public servants need nuanced understanding of politics, what drives their minister and government. Geoff Gallop offers eleven theses on Australian politics in practice
https://www.themandarin.com.au/111462-effective-public-servants-need-nuanced-understanding-of-politics-what-drives-their-minister-and-government-geoff-gallop-offers-eleven-theses-on-australian-politics-in-practice/
Given the general chaos in British politics at the moment, I wonder if Queen Betty might ask whoever emerges as Tory leader to test the confidence of the House of Commons either before or after getting the nod.
That is actually the constitution theory of it. It would actually be a very “conservative” thing for her to do and not at all out of line
At the last election the voters made up their minds who they regarded as the more ‘real’ leader with the choice offered between Morrison and Shorten.
The question now is – Who is the ‘real’ Albanese and what does he stand for?
Sounds more like an undisciplined rabble than a cohesive government:
citizen
Did you catch Ed Husic’s interview on Sky News Australia?
https://twitter.com/SkyNewsAust/status/1153549787343380480
“Labor MP Ed Husic: Opposition has absolutely very little going for it and I think the trip would be made a lot easier if some people would share the benefit of their thoughts behind closed doors rather than rushing to do an anonymous leak.”
…says some Labor colleagues are whiny losers…
I see Peg is yearning to understand what Anthony Albanese stands for – happy to oblige..
“There is no greater intergenerational issue than the environment.
The current Government’s refusal to take serious action on climate change not only isolates us from the international community, but also creates a situation where our inaction will impose costs on our children.
Their prevarication and whining about taking any action will do nothing but kick the problem down the road for our children and our grandchildren to deal with.
I don’t want to leave my son and his children a massive bill to make up for the current generation’s inaction on climate change.
I’d rather they inherit a clean environment; a healthy Great Barrier Reef; an Australia that has invested in renewable energy sources.
Labor must not be intimidated by our opponents into turning away from policies that focus on sustainability.
Indeed, sustainability must be promoted to the very centre of our policy considerations across the board.
Sustainability is not just about the environment.
It’s also about the way we design our cities and our communities.
It’s about the way we use government intervention to promote sustainable industry.”
citizen says:
2 months ago none of them thought they’d even be there so freelancing is the only option. Great for the country….not.
We can see a pattern emerging. Have Parliament sit as little as possible and ram legislation through with minimal debate.
Labor’s got to stand up to this some time or it will just keep happening – and get worse.
Morrison was prepared to hold drought-stricken farmers to ransom to support this strategy. If you believe that this bullshit about barring Australians from returning to Australia is essential and urgent (which I don’t) , then Morrison is prepared to hold national security hostage.
The Coalition’s idea of bipartisanship is you accept their position immediately without discussion or amendment, otherwise there’s no possibility of any civil debate.
Why Ed Husic isn’t on the shadow front bench is perplexing. But then again, not really if you listen to his interview.
I’m sure Peg will endorse these views from the Real Albo..
“Climate change is not some kind of international scientific conspiracy dreamed up by extremists who simply hate the mining and energy sectors.
It’s an economic issue.
We can kid ourselves as much as we like to avoid the truth, but the world is moving toward a low-emissions future.
Our choice is simple.
We can do nothing and wake up one day in the future to find the market for coal is shrinking and that our international competitors have cornered the market on clean-energy technology.
Or we can embrace change as an economic opportunity.
There are fortunes to be made in emerging renewable energy sectors but the current government is turning its back on the reality of change.
We’ve already lost the first mover advantage.
But it’s not too late for a Labor Government to get things back on track.
We don’t underestimate the complexity of managing a transition from an economy where mining is a key employer to one where the influence of mining declines over the long term.
But we need to manage the shift to renewable energy whether we like it or not.
We can’t stop it.
That’s why Labor remains convinced that a market-linked mechanism is the best way to deliver genuine outcomes.”
I might add to that that Morrison kept them all locked in a cupboard for the election campaign so they may be mistaken in thinking they had anything to do with winning it.
Peg
Ed Husic explained clearly why he gave up his front bench seat – read his words carefully, and your perplexion will evaporate…
Before a meeting of the New South Wales right on Wednesday, Husic said he would not be running for a frontbench role despite having “loved” being in Bill Shorten’s shadow ministry.
“Instead I’ll be backing my great friend Kristina Keneally for that spot,” Husic wrote on Facebook. “We need to ensure someone of Kristina’s enormous talents has the opportunity to make a powerful contribution on the frontline, in the Senate.
“In the aftermath of the federal election, there are things we need to do to rebuild our standing – especially in the place I love, western Sydney – and I’ll be doing just that.
“Appreciate everyone’s support – but let’s get moving to elect an Albanese Labor government.”
Pegasus:
[‘guytaur
Don’t waste your energy on kate. She has form.’]
That’s pretty bad form too.
sprocket_ @ #1377 Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 – 5:04 pm
Yep. “The Market” has been such an unqualified success in such areas as telecommunications, infrastructure, banking, healthcare, education, aged care, etc. Who wouldn’t let it solve the problem of the extinction of all life on Earth.
“Geoff Gallop impressive as usual. Guytaur should stop appropriating what he had to say implying as he did earlier that they were supportive of his own maunderings.”
Guytaur’s standard M.O. – find someone who says something inspirational, and perhaps within 6 degrees of separation of his own world view and parse what said person says to buttress his own delusions.
His favourite parse is to claim that PJK said that his reforms (always referred to as neoliberalism) went to far, when in truth all PJK has said is that liberal economics is at a dead end in terms of providing further useful reform.
Guytaur will never see the world as it is, only as he imagines it to be.
sprocket_ says:
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 7:07 pm
Peg
Ed Husic explained clearly why he gave up his front bench seat – read his words carefully, and your perplexion will evaporate…
Before a meeting of the New South Wales right on Wednesday, Husic said he would not be running for a frontbench role despite having “loved” being in Bill Shorten’s shadow ministry.
“Instead I’ll be backing my great friend Kristina Keneally for that spot,” Husic wrote on Facebook. “We need to ensure someone of Kristina’s enormous talents has the opportunity to make a powerful contribution on the frontline, in the Senate.
“In the aftermath of the federal election, there are things we need to do to rebuild our standing – especially in the place I love, western Sydney – and I’ll be doing just that.
“Appreciate everyone’s support – but let’s get moving to elect an Albanese Labor government.”
____________________
Good God you nasty little fellow, are you capable of any original thought at all?
Kiss my L’arse – an original,thought (sic)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EAFyxncWkAEC0FQ?format=jpg&name=small
The new leader of the Liberal Democrats in the UK is as Tory as you can get.
It appears Labor Caucus has endorsed a rise in Newstart
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/labor-backs-newstart-increase-amid-coalition-divisions-on-payment-20190723-p529vu.html
Albo telling ABC news that he doesn’t want Labor to be defined by what they oppose.
Not much chance of that happening.
More likely that they’ll be defined by what they support…
sprocket_ @ #1366 Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 – 6:49 pm
But! But! I thought Albanese was an ’empty suit’ and should have been out the door yesterday!?!
However, two of the Press Gallery’s sharpest operators, Pats Karvelas and PvO, have both approved today of Albanese’s QT strategy.
Just goes to show we should take absolutely no notice of what The Greens’ glee club here has to say. 🙂
adrian
‘Defined by what they support..’
https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/labor-backs-newstart-increase-amid-coalition-divisions-on-payment-20190723-p529vu.html
adrian @ #1387 Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 – 7:26 pm
Yeah, yeah, whatevs, adrian. 😐
LVT, you should change your nom to OVT.
Old Vinegar Tits. 😀
Pegasus:
Viewing your posts of late relative to so some moons ago, it seems to me that you’ve become a tad acerbic, anathema surely to the average sharing, caring, loving Green?
C@t, the so-called ‘Greens’ posting in social media are infested with Liberal bot/trolls trying to wedge gaps in the progressive force.
It’s a clever MO, tried and tested elsewhere – but wearing a bit thin.
It just goes to show that lies and dirty tricks when megaphoned by media and Liberal bots can succeed..
Gladys Liu and Greg the Lyin’
Steve777,
Morrison will keep on throwing up “ tests” for labor hoping labor will implode and hand a government with no agenda something to cling to and bang labor over the head with.
The drought funding legislation, tax cuts, the security legislation and government members poking a stick at labor by pushing their “ road to Damascus “ moment in calling for a increase in Newstart have all been thrown out there to drag labor into a fight. Labor needs to ignore the red rags being waved at them and concentrate on fighting the good fight on real issues that real Australians actually consider a priority. Hip pocket issues. Money in their pockets, a secure job to go to every day etc etc etc.
Perhaps if labor concentrated on these real world priorities and forgot about the fuzzy feel good side issues then the PV may start to edge up as people start to trust labor to be the better party to represent them and the party that actually listens to them.
Leave the stunts, the wedges and the Don Quoitxe windmill chasing to Morrison and the greens.
The anti worker / union legislation will be a good place to start for labor and the first “ die in a ditch” piece of legislation Morrison has thrown onto the table.
Let us see how labor goes with that and then ,perhaps, we may have more of a idea if Albanese and labor have steel in their spines or just jelly in the belly.
Up until now it has just been all bullshit and noise.
sprocket_ says:
Tuesday, July 23, 2019 at 7:20 pm
Kiss my L’arse – an original,thought (sic)
________________________
Your such a nasty little catamite sprocket – calling names. Your rather tiresome with your edit/pastes.
Run away!
I thought Australia was a democratic country, so I’m very surprised.
One of the French journalists arrested for covering an Adani protest.
The rest of the world will gradually wake up to what Australia is becoming under Dutton/Morrison..
Ms. Treadell playing the role of the consummate diplomat:
https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/keep-calm-and-remember-history-says-british-high-commissioner-20190723-p52a09.html
Rule Britannia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sgd9nYqVz2s
– especially for you lizzie.
Lars
That kind of inappropriate attack on another poster is way out of line.
The Libs are the enemy and it is their actions we should be worried about.
Sure, Labor and the Greens can both be criticised, but it is important to realise they are both progressive entities, but with different short-term goals.
It’s fairly obvious that the Greens and Labor should begin negotiations for forming a coalition.
If nothing else we would be spared Briefly’s increasingly morose and obsessive contributions and Pegasus’ sullen bitchiness.
It’s absolutely clear that the current hostility and resulting faultline on the left is a gift to the Tories. They LOVE it, and promote it at every opportunity. Oh my, how they laugh as they shovel favours to their patrons in return for easy payola in return.
As a result the environment has actually gone backwards. BACKWARDS!
The welfare of those unable to provide sustenance and an educatiob for their families, find a job, obtain proper health care and even get their teeth fixed has been severely compromised, in favour of tax torts characterised as entitlements, and the crassest forms of cronyism.
The nation is suffering badly because of it.
Get rid of the Brieflys and the Pegasuses and the rest if the Old Timers and political dinosaurs who selfishly feed off the vainglorious kicks they get from pursuing their mentally sick delusions of wisdom and influence, derived from a (perhaps) once glorious past, now replete with miserable, demonstrable, obvious failure.
They ARE the problem. They are mired in the past and are holding back the future. Piss ’em off and your problem is four-fifths solved in one stroke. Get rid of the fossils seeking one more pathetic victory lap. The remaining 20% should be a doddle.