The Greens oppose the CPRS not because it is too weak, but because it will point Australia in the wrong direction with little prospect of turning it around in the timeframe within which emissions must peak, says Senator Christine Milne.
Laying some Peter Dutton myths to rest
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Peter Dutton is no great loss to the Liberal Party, and he wasn’t blocked by the Nats in McPherson. Apart from that, everything you’ve read about his preselection failure is true … A couple of weeks ago Crikey “exclusively revealed”, as they say in the mainstream media, that Dutton was in heaps of trouble in McPherson and had alienated more than a few of his members in Dickson. His problem in McPherson was simple — he didn’t live there. That’s a problem both because there’s this modern notion that members should live in their electorates — a peculiar philosophy that would have deprived Britain of the services of Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher — and because it meant he was starting from well behind local candidates who had spent years locking in local support. And as things turned out, that’s why he lost, and lost to the best-connected Liberal woman in the electorate. There was no plot by Nationals preselectors to do over Dutton and, therefore, Malcolm Turnbull. Some Liberal Party commentators have identified former National state MP Judy Gamin as the leader of some sort of Nationals coup to thwart Dutton. In fact, Gamin wrote to LNP President Bruce McIver at the end of August, well before the preselection process, criticising Dutton’s “opportunistic jump to McPherson” but accepting that if he won preselection fairly then “no one should complain”. Her real concern was the possibility of executive interference to either impose Dutton directly on McPherson or overturn the result of the preselection process, and the possibility that a non-local like Dutton might narrow the margin of the seat significantly. Gamin’s “tearing Dutton to shreds” at the preselection meeting, as Glenn Milne terms it, was no more than what she said in her letter to McIver back in August, a copy of which has been freely circulating among LNP members. The observations she makes in that letter are difficult to refute. Barnaby Joyce, who had backed Dutton, also emerged this morning to explicitly reject the claim that ex-Nationals preselectors bloc-voted for Karen Andrews. Apart from anything else, it ain’t much of a Nationals plot if the de facto leader of the party explicitly backed Dutton. The other furphy is that Dutton is somehow a leader-in-waiting. Now, Mal Brough was a future leader, who absence will be sorely felt by conservatives for years to come. Peter Dutton, while superior to a number of his Queensland colleagues (in fact, most of them), is a pale imitation. He has no charisma and his vaunted “ministerial experience” amounts to being a junior minister for three years. He also walked out of the chamber during the Stolen Generations Apology, something you can be sure Labor will point out should he ever attract serious fire from them. And despite a wealth of opportunities to score points off Nicola Roxon, he has struggled to make a mark in the health portfolio. He comes across as surly at best, and often angry. Dutton’s dilemma is a reflection of the Opposition’s broader problem. Governments are supposed to go backwards in their first attempt at re-election. Labor candidate Fiona McNamara, a teacher’s union official, is a walking Labor cliché. On such grounds, Dickson should be winnable next year even on its new boundaries. The fact that Dutton wanted to bail out says a great deal about how Opposition MPs feel about their prospects in 2010. Political journalists are a funny breed. They rail against factional deals, criticise those they see as party hacks, deplore “head office interference” in political parties and aver that all political parties need greater grassroots involvement to stop the long-term decline in party membership. Plenty also agree that we need more women in politics. But when the preselectors in McPherson went for a local woman rather than a blow-in bloke endorsed by the party leadership, it was, according to many commentators, an unmitigated disaster and evidence that the Opposition is dysfunctional. Well, the Opposition may indeed be dysfunctional, but that’s quite unrelated to events on the Gold Coast on the weekend. |
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41 Comments
Thank you, Bernard, for the first lucid explanation of Dutton’s Dilemma thus far. I wondered what the back story was. Turns out that there was no back story at all. Pretty much all his own work.
I love seeing the conservatives find new ways to dig their own graves.
Great article Bernard…but isnt Dickson now only about 1.8% in favour of Labor? - if Dutton is so damn good he should face the electors of Dickson with his charisma and ability to be a good MP and see what they think - surely just over 1% is easily done if you are that good. Or cant he win without being in a safe seat?
No personality, sour, dreary, lacking in humour, pedantic, moaner, nasty, ignorant…thats been descriptions of Dutton member for Dickson…now add gutless to his credentials. Hasn’t the guts to face his electorate. What a pathetic wimp.
Hear Hear all ye intuitive crikey bloggers - the man is a fool. The McPherson conservative crowd obviously knew that Dutton is a user with no heart - and Karen Andrews would better represent their interests at home and in Canberra. I’m impressed that they weren’t taken in by the heavy-weights of their side of politics.
Like Karen, Fiona MacNamara has been working the electorate of Dickson for the last two Federal elections voluntarily and often at a great personal financial cost, travelling long distances to Ag shows etc, even when not officially endorsed.
She has a good chance of winning at the next election, not because Dutton is not there, but because she has been building up her electoral support and because of wider ALP policy actions and an intelligent, creative front bench that presently the Libs can’t match for a viable alternative government.
Agree about Dutton being touted as a future leader. I’m sure the man is competant enough, but leadership material? No. I’ve only heard him speak a few times and all it has been is repeating the generic party line on whatever the topic might be, nothing paticularly inspiring about him.
Raymond Church and Denise Allen, perhaps with your great ‘wit’ and ahem, ‘intelligence’, you should have a go at running, but then that would require courage.
It is a lot safer hiding behind words on a blog site than facing the barrage on the front line - but then where else would pathetic wimps hide?
Dutton took down your left wing dream candidate, Cheryl Kernot, then went on to hold his seat while everyone else around him fell in 2007.
While I would agree he is a little dull, he is also capable, tenacious, specific, articulate and honest - all the things the current PM is not - no wonder you don’t like him.
Ok Pedro, ignoring most of the nonsense you wrote, tell us why this brave brute had no problem with doing a runner from Dickson, thereby deserting those who put him into the House, to try and get into a cosy safe seat. Give us the good oil on that. If he such a great local rep, why the lack of ticker now. He has all but cashed in his chips mate. As for facing the barrage on the front line, his inability to foot it with the Health Minister makes him look completely out of his depth. But hey you carry on with your love affair, it appears it will be a short one.
The seat of the new Wright is open and Dutton could fit in there, it will be a LNP seat. Lots of Rednecks live there. A bit of FEAR and SMEAR and he will romp in.
I lived in Dickson electorate. I never saw or heard Dutton do anything really and he actually seemed like a complete snob. The only thing that came out of him was the normal rhetoric about getting tough on crime blah blah blah.
It must be a dire state of affairs if he is supposed to be one of the best Coalition hopefuls?
To me this whole thing just shows how if you say something enough people will believe it. The media has been going on with lavish compliments about this guy (or publishing lavish comments from his own party). But it has all been abstact - they just say that he is a potentiol leader and point to hollow tick the box achievements - been a minister, won a seat etc. Well if you look behind those simple indicators they guys is pretty ordinary.
PEDRO: You are one very sick puppy. You don’t use your own name to your comments, yet you thrash Raymond and Denise who do.
Your airy description of Peter Dutton’s tenacity and honesty falls from such perjured lips that no one will ever believe you.
WTF don’t you lob your comments to some right wing rag? You may find someone sufficiently daft to believe you. I wouldn’t bet on it though.
Wow, calling me mate RaymondChurch, perhaps a little too presumptuous - you may be desperate but I’m certainly not lol.
As for the ‘nonsense’, your usual hate filled rant clearly embarrasses you more than usual on this occasion, and it can’t even be hidden with your attempted condescension.
It is not uncommon for both parties to parachute their ‘better’ candidates into seats that are safe, the idea being that they are then able to focus their energy on being good ministers (or shadows). Ministers, as a general rule, are not able to put their energy into their electorate that backbenchers can which is why a safe seat is needed for them.
Surely an expert on politics such as yourself RaymondChurch would know that - it has been done by both parties for quite some decades now.
Or maybe you aren’t the expert you claim to be - no safe alp seat for you RaymondChurch lol!
You tell me nothing new Ped, however Mr Dutton by all accounts, except some in the raving right, is hardly a “better candidate” with expertise. Pray tell expertise in what? Boredom.Read the post by maco. The day after Crikey originally broke the story of Duttons migration, the Your Say column was full of mails from electors in Dickson, rubbishing him and his attitude. Of course they would have to be all ALP supporters to suit your arguement. Whatever, he is hardly a future leader of the nation, God forbid.
I wonder how Cheryl Kernot feels about poor old Pete’s predicament? A bit of political irony to chew over? She complained long and loud about copping a tough seat, being underresourced etc - and was duly defeated by Dutts. Now Dutts is running scared after the Dickson redistribution! At least Cheryl had the guts to hang around and have a crack …
Dutton reminds me of a ‘poor man’s Keating’ - but no charisma, not real smart, aggressive, ex-copper attitude at times. BTW, quote from your article - ‘The fact that Dutton wanted to bail out says a great deal…..” - it should be bale out. Common error. Cheers, Alex
Thanks for the succinct clarity BK.
I agree Dutton is very average and often has been a jerk when he thrills himself trying to be special and different.
Pedro settle, ‘mate’ is often just a space filler and its not a Latin thing so you’re forgiven.
Your respect for my Prime Minister is a bit Latin and disappointing especially when you have such easy love for Dutton by comparison.
Would you speak about your favorite Queen that way?
I think, NO, I know our Prime Minister could teach you serious lessons on truth and honesty.
Don’t feel comforted by the large number of serious journalists who trail far behind ‘that’ Dutton in intellect and virtuous character.
Of course BK is definitely not one of those.
Why is it that both majors (sic!- not by paid up membership, that’s far & away the Greens’ valid claim) whine about the need to put their “potential great Leaders” in dafe seats?
If they’re so t’rific, the shine from their lower regions will bedazzle hoi polloi into voting for them, or …? Couldn’t be that they are seat warming, time serving simulacrums droning out the Party line of the moment? As in “we have always been at war with Eurasia…”
Boy Pedro - testy little thing aren’t you. I was merely saying if he is as good as you say he is - winning a seat with just over 1% margin should be easy for him considering he has been there since 2001 - 9 years by the time the election comes around - he should have done enough to hold the seat. After all its not like he has to defend a seat after one term that was previously held by his opponents by 16% and has the old guard working against him - and his power base want to keep him there so you would think he will have heaps of support and money behind him.
Wow. A few cold showers may be required here.
1. What’s wrong with keeping ‘talent’ by moving them to safer seats if they’ve proved their worth? Seems quite sensible rerally.
2. Why would anyone regard Dutton as ‘talent’? I have never, ever seen anything of him that justifies the use of that term, except perhaps as a ‘talk to the hand’ kind of party hack spouting whatever the latest party line is.
Having the stupid, loud mouth rants of barnacle Barnaby will hardly assist Dutton what ever electorate he ends up slinking into trying to hold up his boring, smart arse attitude. I would think having the Nats as mates is a sure fire way of sending you to the pits. Look at them, the new age Mussolini in B Joyce leading the charge on a two legged steed, what a loud mouth fool he is. All duh duh Dutton needs now is the Senates full time dip stick, Fielding to support him and he really will be saying bye bye politics. This rabble that makes up an Opposition led by a man who has more enemies than friends, in his own party, forget Labor they don’t have to say anything, just ooze out more internal bleeding like I have never ever seen in my lifetime following politics in any Opposition. Howards revenge, there for all to see.
I have sat back and watched the thread with interest May I say to Pedro, who came in all guns blazing and now appears after having had his small abusive attack on a couple of good entertaining regular contributors Denise and Raymond, departed on his swan song, fully justifies my distaste of Liberal supporters who come into threads, have a quick dab then when shown to be rather petty and lacking in any constructive comment, fade into the abyss where it appears the former copper Dutton is doomed to end up. As an aside on Duttons utterly boring contributions in the House, and his childish behaviour in Question Time, I still have not seen any reliable intelligent support of Dutton as a great speaker, as a competent foe to Ms Roxen in Health, she has eaten him alive, what on earth would he have sounded like in a court of law, giving evidence. He must have bored the magistrates and judges into noddy land. Give it away peter, find a new direction, go back to your family, rest assured they still love you, the people of Dickson certainly will not.
RaymondC, you have it in a nutshell, but buried at the foot of your comment.
Howard’s revenge!
How well he sank Costello, who otherwise may have matured but was forced to remain in his childhood; how little did he value the concept of developing continuity in the party which supported him while he ate its heart out. Unfortunately for all of us, this has resulted in a situation where the government is not held to account by the Opposition, who are either displaying their individual lack of brain and decorum or are forced to stand in support of Mr 18 percent.
This is nowhere as clear as in Qld, where the party members don’t have a concept of what the LNP stands for, or who they represent. Either the Nats will eventually disappear from the surface of the earth, or the Libs will be forced to demolish them at the poles in order to get a clear shot at the Government.
There has not been such a mess since the split which resulted in the formation of the DLP, and that kept the ALP on the Opposition side of the House of Reps for a decade or two.
It’s all a shame, really, because a government without an effective opposition is bound to become fat, lazy and incompetent.
So sad…
This idea that potential ministers or leaders need to be put into safe seats because they can’t be available to their electorates as much - what rot! If I can routinely make international conference calls with multiple people over Skype and multi-task several projects at a click of a button then a ministerial/leadership candidate can handle their portfolios and serve their electorate productively NO MATTER where they might bem There seems to be a disconnect between the political classes and the wider community that says we live in some sort of paralell universe where politicians can only grasp the notion of 1960’s technology thus they can’t do two things at once. Parachuting candidates into “safe” seats is lazy and it treats the electorate with contempt. I have to laugh at the mention of Churchill and Thatcher - two of the most destructive figures in 20th century politics. The Dutton situation serves only to highlight perfectly just how much disarray the Coalition is in right now. Dutton Deserving = I think not.
Is there no limit to the amount of help the Liberal Party, National Party, and the Victorian LNP are prepared to give our Prime Minister, Mr Kevin Rudd, and our Labor Party Government?
I think we, the Australian people, are mindful of the superb efforts by the Howard Government to turn what had become a travesty of a political Party, The late, unlamented Liberals, into an unworkable, limp-wristed, begging mat for the big company oligarchs, The Coal Industry, The Water Rights me-tooists, The companies that produce Aluminium products, the Car companies, the Forests Industries groups, the Climate Change Denialists. All of them, indulging in their Phyrric victories on the the carcass that was Australia. It is with varying degrees of regret that the voter looks at what you have become, an animal in the throes of death: we shield our mouths with our hands as we turn our heads; in my case, to throw up.
However, not even an electorate as badly savaged as the Australian one could believe the madder machinations of the devious mind of this once feral animal. Unlike most political warriors who are faced with an election tsunami, the Liberal Party decided ‘Why go with grace? (What’s she ever done for us?). They decided to feed upon itself-slowly. This was a chivalrous act, designed to give the incoming and victorious Labor Party every last bit of help. In an act of deviant despair they made a gift of their most precious possession. A triple-edged sword, fondly reknown as The Peter Costello Factor aka The Peter Principle. Or The principle that had no Peter, and, ho hum, the Peter who didn’t have a principle.
In the ensuing two-years our victorious Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has gone from strength to strength in the opinion polls. Unfortunately what nobody told us was when the PM inherited the carcass of the Liberal Party, he inherited also the Oligarchic begging- mat. An item on which he has spent much of his time listening to the commands of those who must be obeyed. This is to water-down everything he promised in order to save Australia from destroying itself, and to renege on every single promise he made to the voters on Climate Change, Global Warming, etc.
Just when we, the hapless voters, felt the Rudd Government, at the next election, might get a whiff of electoral disapproval, the remaining cards in Kevin Rudd’s hand turned to pure gold.
An economic whizz-kid called Malcolm Turnbull had the somewhat tarnished laurel-wreath of what had been the Liberal Party, placed on his brow. Big sigh! This was none other than the brash senior citizen who had led something called the Republican Party to despair. The quintessential case of snatching oblivion out of the jaws of victory.
There was a lot of favourable political comment about Malcolm Turnbull’s experience as a Republican which was thought to have proved to be a valuable learning experience. To those of us with less imagination, moi! It seemed that a defeat out of the jaws of victory was the wrong sort of lesson and prepared the ground to a potential two time loser. Left to his own devices the Honourable Member for Wentworth turned out to be a graceless and multiple liar whose scruples were even less evident that the ones displayed by the ex-member for Higgins.
Just when the fourth member of the Liberal Apocalypse, Malcolm Turnbull-the previous three being John Howard, Philip Rudd and Peter Costello-looked as if he would be lucky to drag his wounded warriors into a sitting position for the forth-coming battle in 2010, dubbed by one wit as The Liberals Last Lush-up, to everyone’s astonishment the walking wounded turned around and started killing each other and feeding off themselves.
This latest round of back-stabbing reveals the right-wing of the Liberal Party, the man of the moment being another Peter, called Dutton versus the left-wing of the Liberal Party, a Turnbull called Malcolm involves name calling, hissy fits and the usual bitchiness so beloved of us all. Guaranteed to keep the Labor Party in with a comfortable, if not landslide victory at the next election.
In the case of Victoria it is more of the same, except that the big players on the right have names like Michael Kroger, Jeff Kennett, and guess who????????????
None other than the triple edged sword himself, the Peter, without a principle, called Costello. Led by an amiable giant, Ted Bailieu, the Victorian State Liberal
Party has, over the past twelve years or so become the template from which the Federal Liberal Party is working.
Never, in the history of Australian politics, has the Nation had so little to thank the State of Victoria for. We have fashioned the template upon which the Liberal Party officially declared itself as a mere lackey of the Labor Party. We always knew the federal machine was anti Victoria. But this is ridiculous. A knackered Liberal Party will receive yet another thrashing from the incumbent Labor Party, making it another four years on top of the existing eleven (approx). And a rout by the Federal Labor Government over the weak-witted, sonambulistic Liberal/National Parties in Canberra in 2010.
Well done Kevin, what a master strategist you are!
All we needed to know about Dutton:
“He also walked out of the chamber during the Stolen Generations Apology.”
OK, if he disagreed and voted against the Apology, that’s an opinion he’s entitled to.
But what sort of person would walk out?
Harvey Tarvydas, thank you for clearing up when to use the word ‘mate’, I was just so confused.
You’ll be pleased to know we just did a straw poll around the office and we decided your reply was the best, brilliant, outstanding even. The way you moulded in my comments about our deceitful little PM and the Queen was mind-blowing, in fact I would even say it was trailblazing journalism. I mean, asking me if I would speak about my ‘favourite queen’ in the same way as Krudd really put me back in my box.
Only one small problem, I’m a republican - always have been. So yes, I would happily speak about the queen in the same way, if she deserved it.
And yes, my respect for your lying PM is very, very ‘Latin’, I mean, fair shake of the sauce bottle, how could it be anything else?
Finally, don’t you have better things to do in the evenings other than being tied to your computer? Perhaps getting a life might help your perspective little, but then, perhaps not.
Still, Isn’t it interesting to see how the libs preselect candiates with a tough but reasonably open ballot. In my party of choice we have no such ability. A gang of five just pitchfork in whoever the decide
SBH: if you mean Labor, I’m still waiting for someone to call it to account for bringing down the NSW people’s elected government over the electricity privatization, based on the belief that Iemma was accountable to them rather than the electorate. Just look at the result.
PEDRO: are we still talking about you? I mean, are we? We don’t know your real name. Are you the nom-de-plume of someone in public life, perhaps even someone connected with this story? If yes, it would be a sign of character if you end this charade and declare yourself. If not, why would we have any interest whatsoever in your explanations of yourself?
Okay - I know I’m going to get crucified for this and I know I shouldn’t say it but I can’t resist -
Pedro - you are an arsehole.
banistersmind, you are brilliant, no crucifixion for you…..
Banistersmind - I’m not offended, and if that’s all you’ve got, then good luck. That being said, I sincerely hope you aren’t crucified for your comments because everyone is entitled to their opinion.
And James McDonald, because you have spoken such wisdom, how could I say no to you - oh yeah, pretty easily. As for my relevance, I could care less if you consider me worth commenting about or not, lol.
James, I guess you have worked out I do not have a left wing opinion (tried to hide it but…), which means, according to you, I probably am not entitled to an opinion - ahh, such democracy in action! And finally, are you demanding everyone else also reveal their real name, or just the right wingers???
PEDRO: No, not everyone, just someone who thinks this whole blog is about him.
Question: Who else thinks my comment about the labor party indicates that I think right wingers aren’t entitled to an opinion?
Answer: Who cares?
Aren’t you meant be ignoring me James? You just seem a bit sooky at the moment. Anyway, this debate is over - it’s been over for a while, but keep going if you want lol.
Hi Venise: Aren’t you being a little rough on Malcolm Turnbull? As far as I’m concerned he’s still a bit of an unknown. The left-wing media won’t give him any airtime because he’s nominally a right-winger (worse: a former-left turncoat). The right-wing media consists of basically one newspaper dynasty which loathes him with a passion, for reasons I’m still trying to figure out. Maybe something to do with the fact that he used to work for Kerry Packer.
Hi James: One of the main reasons I can’t stand the man is that I have heard him take three different positions on a specific question after discovering that his minders had allowed the wrong question to be asked. Did he hesitate, pause, acknowledge there had been an eff-up? Not a bit of it, without so much as taking a breath he changed his stance to address the new question. Sure, politicians are liars by trade, but mendacity on such a scale is nerve-numbing.
HELP, someone please: Is there any way that I can print one of my own comments from Crikey? Apart from trying to find it in the Google section? Please!
public holiday?
Venise,
Open the comments thread in your browser (I use Internet Explorer).
Select the portion of text that you seek to print (Click-and-drag).
ie simultaneously press the CTRL and the C keys to cut the selected text into a buffer.
Open a new Word window.
Click within the document to ensure that your cursor is on the page.
will paste the buffer contents onto the Word document.
Print the document.
You will now have a paper copy of your contribution to frame and hang on the wall.
Is there somebody (not Pedro) who supports Peter Dutton’s attempt to change seats who can rationally argue for either Mr Dutton’s apparently superior intellect or his value to the electors of his targetted?
It genuinely surprises me that there has been so little said lucidly in support of this champion of the LIbs/LNP and his failed preselection challenge.
James Mac, over the last 15 years I’ve seen democracy strangled out of the ALP and not just by unions or the right but by small minded self-interested vicious thugs. It’s been a tragedy writ small and large and I can only hope that the worm eventually turns. However the NSW unions didn’t get rid of the peoples elected government they just rearranged the senior jobs. The ALP stayed in power but I get your point.
As for the whole pedro thing, jeezus what’s he on, makes JamesK look considered and erudite
Hi SBH, when the ALP was threatening to apply pressure for a leadership spill and bring Iemma down over the electricity privatization, I tried to raise some concern about this in Crikey comments. Most readers were against privatization so they just cheered for the ALP. Party member Matt Hardin joined me in a lively discussion about church and state, but in general the issue of the government being accountable to someone other than voters just didn’t seem to register.
They brought Simon Crean down for daring to challenge the 60 per cent union stake. Commentators just shook their heads at his “disloyalty”.
In the US Congress there’s no such phrase as “conscience vote” because there’s no other kind of vote. But Australian journalists spend all their time sniffing around for “disloyalty to the party” scandals. They don’t get it: in politics, “disloyalty” should be seen as a moral virtue, and “loyalty” as conflict of interest.
Sorry this doesn’t have much to do with Dutton, but I figure we’re done and dusted with him.
Sorry John B, not meaning to write off your point. The man did turn his back and walk out during the Stolen Generations Apology. Voting against it and expressing dissent would have been enough if that’s the way he felt.