The Liberal Party of Australia is experiencing a significant power shift in its state branches with some surprising results having federal consequences.
The embarrassing sight (for the Liberals) of Federal frontbencher and rising star Peter Dutton losing in a recent pre-selection for the safe Liberal Queensland seat of McPherson, after his own seat of Dickson became marginal after a redistribution, is not entirely surprising given the animosity of the rank and file members of the electorate in which he was seeking pre-selection.
The strongly independent pre selectors resented the federal Liberal party’s effort to “parachute” in a favoured son and Mr Dutton was therefore off to a bad start in a preselection he would have been battling to have the numbers to win anyway. This state of affairs came about despite the highest of endorsements from the leadership of the Liberal Party.
ORIGINALLY POST AT THEANGLE.ORG
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Pingback on Nov 11th, 2009 at 10:41 am
[...] original here: The Shifting Sands of Australian Politics « Alex Schlotzer Share and [...]
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As found on
Alex’s Choice News- Pacific : Islander work scheme bears no fruit November 22, 2009Source: Sunday Age
- Australia : Sick go to work for fear of losing job November 22, 2009Source: Sun-Herald
- Australia : Push for pay reforms for women: report November 22, 2009Source: AAP
- Pacific : Islander work scheme bears no fruit November 22, 2009
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Alex Schlotzer by Alex Schlotzer is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 2.5 Australia License.
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November 11, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Hey Alex,
Very interesting article thanks.
As you point out the “shifting sands” do seem to point to a party in crisis with the climate change debate showing the Libs don’t know whether to follow Turnbull down the moderate path (as David Cameron has dragged the UK Tories kicking and screaming), or whether they want to be a traditional party of ultra conservatism as followed under the Howard years.
Nick Minchin’s performance on Monday’s Four Corners program would perhaps suggest the latter?