The SA Politics Thread

[[Shuz]]

I don't know about his economic credentials, but on social policy, he is very liberal and is politically aligned to the Left. I am actually quite suprised the Right (cough - SDA - cough) have backed him to be Premier, considering things like shopping hours deregulation, gay marriage recognition, etc. are issues which are in stark contrast to their 'agenda'. Something stinks about his arrangement with the SDA.

Mods; this thread probably is better off merged with the existing threads covering the leadership/political issues. I thought we had a SA Politics thread around somewhere?

[[Shuz]]

Latest update: August 4th 2011

There will be no leadership spill, Premier-in-waiting Jay Weatherill insists
Sarah Martin and Daniel Wills
From: The Advertiser August 04, 2011 11:34AM

• SDA leader Peter Malinauskas denies being the king maker in Labor's power struggles.
  Premier-in-waiting Jay Weatherill says he hopes for a smooth transition.
  Labor MPs support states next Premier
  Labor MPs have met for the first time since party powerbrokers told Premier Mike Rann it was time to go.
  SA Premier Mike Rann has agreed to step down as Labor Party leader but only after a 'transition period.'

EDUCATION Minister Jay Weatherill, the Premier-in-waiting, has moved to quell threats of a leadership spill to remove Premier Mike Rann when he returns from India.

Mr Weatherill said this morning there would be no challenge when asked about comments from Legislative Council President Bob Sneath that Left-aligned MPs would call for a spill unless Mr Rann left office within weeks.

Mr Weatherill said there would be no challenge. He said Mr Sneath would be told to pull his head in.

"It is not really a proper approach and I will be making that clear to Mr Sneath," he said.

"Obviously, Mr Sneath is frustrated and he has expressed his frustration.

"People need to be patient and I need to be patient until Mr Rann returns from India."

Mr Sneath said all he had indicated was that he was prepared to sign a document calling for a spill.

Should Mike Rann stand aside immediately for Jay Weatherill?
Yes 61.08% (3097 votes)
No 21.22% (1076 votes)
Don't know 17.69% (897 votes)
Total votes: 5070

Would you vote for Jay Weatherill at the 2014 election?
Yes 40.01% (5350 votes)
No 48.87% (6535 votes)
Unsure 11.12% (1487 votes)
Total votes: 13372

"Now it's been brought on, it should be done quickly," he said.

Mr Sneath denied he was trying to blow up the leadership deal. He had always supported Jay Weatherill for the leadership.

"Once people tell the Premier he should be going then it should happen quickly," he said.

Yesterday, Mr Sneath said a spill would be necessary if Mr Rann decided to stay on, with only half a dozen signatures needed to call a special meeting of Caucus to install Mr Weatherill.

"It might have to be done that way, most of us would be hoping the Premier decides to go before the convention," he said.

"If that is not the case then certainly I would like to see a meeting of Caucus because we need to change the leadership. I would rather it was done by consensus.

"I would hope that somebody that the Labor party has served so well for so long would now do the best thing for the Labor Party and go before the convention. And if not, then the Labor party should be replacing him.

"Now is the time - what are we waiting for? We are waiting to let the Premier, who has been a good Premier, to go without a fight."

Another MP told The Advertiser yesterday that any prolonged transition would detract from the Government's position and advantage the Opposition.

"The Right have delivered the message, so let's do it," they said.

"There's one thing that you learn to do in the Labor Party, and that is count. Rann would be aware of the numbers.

"If he says 'I'm going to stay until December', then it is game on."

Another said Mr Rann would not go unless he felt a spill was likely, choosing to stay in office for the sign-off on BHP Billiton's Olympic Dam expansion, and possibly an announcement concerning an Art Gallery expansion.

"He will hang on until there is one (a spill)," another said.

"I think he will try to hang on, but I don't think he will be allowed to."

On Monday, Mr Weatherill ruled out a challenge, with the Government insisting the Premier will be allowed to go at a time of his choosing.

But Mr Rann is keeping his own counsel over the state's rolling leadership crisis and senior party members remain as much in the dark about his retirement plans as voters.

Another Labor source yesterday told The Advertiser the party was in a "holding pattern" until Mr Rann returned from the Indian trip.

He is expected to front a tense Cabinet meeting on Monday where he will confront Mr Weatherill for the first time since being informed of the pact to replace him as leader.

Labor insiders believe Mr Rann has come to a firm decision about his future and will return to inform the party of his next move, rather than discuss it.

On Sunday, Mr Rann said he had "several key projects that I should complete, including most importantly, the go-ahead for the Olympic Dam expansion" but did not nominate a date of exit.

Other sources have dismissed the likelihood of a spill saying the party was willing to give Mr Rann until late in the year to step down in a bid to deliver the desired "seamless transition".

One Labor MP said Mr Rann could continue to govern "for months" if he wished and the party would simply "make it work".

The Premier's office yesterday released a lengthy outline of his Indian engagements, which includes meetings with chief ministers of four states and business.

He has attended functions with Federal Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations Minister Chris Evans and met some of India's largest industrial companies, including The Hinduja Group, Tata Industries and Essel Mining.

Outgoing Upper House MP Paul Holloway, who retires on August 12, yesterday said the "bell has tolled" for Mr Rann.

"Just as I had to move on myself and make way, there comes a point when you have to go," he said. "That point for Mike Rann will be over the coming months.

"The time comes for every politician and the bell tolls for everyone eventually, but what I think we can do in the Labor Party is to handle these transitions as smoothly as possible."

[stumpjumper]

Shuz is quite right. Labor Right (cough - the SDA - cough) is quite happy to promote a Labor Left premier. Anything, as long as Labor stays in power. As Bob Hawke is supposed (wrongly, I'd say) to have said: "I'm a man of principles. And if you don't like my principles - well, I've got others."

Whether the premier is Left or Right, he or she will still be the SDA's puppet. A deal for a Left premier would also undoubtedly give the SDA access to some of the Left's funds. In general, the Right has the numbers but the Left has the cash. Ha ha.

Here's an example of the ruthlessness of the SDA:

In the recent agreement between Coles and the SDA, the SDA actually negotiated away many of the gains Coles' staff had won from their employer over the decades. Why did they do this? Because Coles agreed to the SDA having free access to their staff to recruit them into the SDA. That is vital for the SDA, because each employee who signs up with the SDA also signs up (whether they know it or not) as a member of the ALP and gives their proxy to the SDA. This means that the SDA at the annual state ALP conference carries about 20,000 votes and is the dominant voting bloc. So the SDA gets to choose who is premier, who gets which ministry etc. Federally the SDA carries about 230,000 proxies, which is why Don Farrell was one of the leaders of the stab Rudd and install Gillard gang. Gillard may be incompetent, but she is beholden to the SDA, which is what really matters in the way politics is presently played.

[[Shuz]]

Something really stinks about this arrangement.

I just can't fathom that the Left (Jay) would so easily allow the Right accessibility to their funds.

It almost seems as if the Right have everything to gain and the Left, everything to lose. I actually can't see any benefit that this has for the Left. All it does is benefit's Jay's own personal ego, accomplishing what every politician aspires to become; to be Premier/Prime Minister.

[[Shuz]]

After some thought; I've come to a very plausible conclusion.

It's a well known fact that Peter Malinouskas wants to get into state politics. Rann is probably the easiest target out of the whole lot to remove from politics for reasons we all know, bad polling, scandals, etc. Rann sits in the very safe ALP seat of Ramsay with a 28% margin.

Peter, wants in on the action along with his other ex-SDA unionists (Labor Right).

It seems to me that in his cosy little arrangement with Weatherill, he has proposed to the Right (and secured their support) to back Weatherill for Premier, so to force Rann out of the position. As we all know, Rann has indicated that when he goes, he leaves politics for good. This consequently would force a by-election in Ramsay.

Need an ALP candidate? Peter's the man for the job. With a 28% buffer against him, and even withstanding a heavy 10-15% swing against the ALP - he would still hold on by a margin of 10-15%, which is relatively safe. What an easy shoo-in into state politics and most certainly, a place on Weatherill's Ministry. All this, in return for his and the Labor Right's support to back Weatherill as Premier... but only until after 2014. Weatherill would surely get the knife plunged in his back also after the 2014 election result, win or lose.

Scary times ahead.

[stumpjumper]

Manilauskas into Rann's seat? It will be interesting to see if you're right, Shuz. It seems a bit far-fetched.

Manilauskas' predecessor Don Farrell, who installed Rann as premier in 1994, became a federal senator in 2008 and was instrumental in kicking out Rudd.

Back to the premier in waiting - years ago, Weatherill and Penny Wong, who were a couple at the time, were part of the 'Bolkus Left' along with Pat Conlon (all were uni of Adelaide law graduates). They were involved in a complicated stoush in which Bolkus ended up being shafted politically and lost his spot on the federal senate ticket. Weatherill and Wong ended their personal relationship, and Conlon began a long held resentment of Weatherill. In fact when Weatherill challenged Foley a few months ago, Conlon resigned from the Left in disgust. Conlon is now factionless and is generally agreed to have no future in SA politics.

Add Weatherill's lie about being the one to save Cheltenham before his election in 2002, and it's clear that Weatherill has form for ambition and ruthlessness. Whether he also has the competence to be premier, and what it will be like having a factional premier after so long, remains to be seen.

[Pollywaffle]

Michael Brown is the tip for Ramsay. The deal to get Jay in as Premier reportedly involved surrendering Ramsay and Elder to the Right. Conlon will have to formally join the Right if he wants to survive.

[stumpjumper]

That sounds credible. Brown has wanted a comfortable slot on North Tce for a while.

The ALP will have to watch it, though. Recently, they have run presidential campaigns, characterising elections as being between their potential premier and the Opposition's, despite the election of premier being a purely internal party matter.

The 'faceless men' can't have it both ways - if they ask us to 'Vote 1 Weatherill' (or anyone else as contender for the top office), they can't then claim we voted for a party not a premier, and change premier mid-stream without referring to voters. After the NSW musical chairs, Rudd's 'assassination' and Rann being shoved aside, the public is becoming intolerant of the practice. Unfortunately the factions boiling away under the surface don't seem to care about the public. We are just a hindrance while they play a game called 'chase the prizes of office' rather than the one called 'provide good government'.

As it is, and if as you suggest Ramsay and Elder have been 'given' to the Right, the Labor party members of those electorates should be angry they haven't had the chance of pre-selecting their choice of candidate. Labor in NSW made an art form of imposing candidates from head office, and look where Labor is in NSW today - reviled, out of office and a byword for everything that's wrong with modern machine politics.

If the Libs don't wake up to such practices and object, then the people are likely to object on their own behalf, at the ballot box and in any number of other ways, none of them to the ALP's advantage.

[[Shuz]]

South Australia's new Premier, Jay Weatherill

2.10PM PREMIER Jay Weatherill wants the public sector to join him in significant reform and says the city's vibrancy is a key priority.

In his first press conference as Premier, Mr Weatherill also hinted at a review of liquor licensing laws as part of his intent to revitalise the CBD.

Mr Weatherill said he wanted the next generation of South Australians to be able to grow up enjoying the state's many lifestyle benefits but also live their dreams without needing to leave for interstate or overseas.

12.00PM: PREMIER Jay Weatherill has announced a major Cabinet restructure after being sworn in today as the state's 45th leader at Government House.

Mr Weatherill has announced 15 portfolio areas, one for each Cabinet member, with sub-ministries.

In addition to the premiership position, he will also be State Development Minister.

Major winners are new Cabinet members Ian Hunter and Chloe Fox, who claim Communities and Social Inclusion and Transport Services respectively.

Weatherill loyalist Grace Portolesi has claimed his former education portfolio and Right figure Michael O'Brien gains responsibility for a broad finance portfolio.

However, Ms Portolesi loses Aboriginal Affairs to Mr Hunter and Multicultural Affairs to Jennifer Rankine.

Right faction powerbroker Tom Koutsantonis takes on responsibility for the business sector, adding energy to his existing responsibilities in mining and industry.

Upper House Leader Gail Gago gains agriculture responsibilities in a move that adds to her existing regional development portfolio. She also takes tourism from Deputy Premier John Rau.

Mr Rau remains Attorney-General and planning minister. Infrastructure Minister Pat Conlon adds housing to his road and rail transport responsibilities, while Ms Fox will be in charge of public transport.

Jennifer Rankine has lost her Families and Communities responsibilities to Mr Hunter, but takes on a major "community safety" package including police, corrections, road safety and emergency services.

11.42AM Jay Weatherill has become South Australia's 45th premier in a swearing in ceremony at Government House. He takes over from Mike Rann, who served for nine years and yesterday faced his final Question Time as leader.

He takes over from Mike Rann, who served for nine years and yesterday faced his final Question Time as leader. Mr Weatherill announced his Cabinet this morning, including the addition of two new ministers and a number of portfolio changes that "will reform service provision to the South Australian community".

Mr Weatherill will hold the State Development Ministry and Cabinet Ministers have been assigned portfolios covering Justice, Regions, Development, Treasury, Health, Community Safety, Environment, Business, Finance, Education, Skills, Industrial Relations, Communities & Social Inclusion and Transport.

"Today I am presenting a new Ministry which is revitalised by these changes, energetic and ready to bring new ideas to our Government," he said.

10.05AM: Jay Weatherill has begun his first day "with the same spin and rhetoric" as his predecessor, Opposition Treasury spokesman Iain Evans says. Mr Weatherill today told ABC Radio that Leon Bignell, previously strongly expected for elevation ahead of Mr Hunter, was "very happy" with the arrangement.

Mr Evans said Mr Weatherill had kicked off his first day as leader "with a grossly misleading statement about his new team".

"Despite Mr Weatherill's rhetoric on radio this morning, Mr Bignell was not happy about missing out on a ministry, it was just pointless for him to nominate because Labor's faceless factions had already knifed him," he said.

"The same factions that knifed Mr Rann knifed Mr Bignell well before today's meeting.

"Premier Weatherill promised South Australians a new Labor but the typical spin and rhetoric has already started on day one."

9.20AM: Speaking after the Caucus meeting today, Premier-elect Jay Weatherill said: "I said to Caucus ... that this is a fantastic new opportunity to revitalise Labor. And I spoke to them about my gratitude for the privilege that they have offered me, and I told them I wouldn't let them down."

9.15AM: Jay Weatherill has been appointed Premier. Infrastructure Minister Pat Conlon has made the announcement outside Caucus.

9.10AM: Premier-in-waiting Jay Weatherill says he is "very excited" about his first day as Premier, arriving with Chloe Fox and Grace Portolesi this morning at a Caucus meeting.

Left-aligned MP Steph Key said Mr Weatherill's government would be a new and different era for the Government.

"I think Jay is the person to lead us and I think it will be a great new era for Labor."

Applause could be heard from the caucus meeting this morning.

9.05am Premier-in-waiting Jay Weatherill will hold a press conference at Parliament House at 1pm to announce his plans for the state. He will be sworn in at Government House at 11.20am where he's expected to announce new ministerial portfolios. WATCH HIS FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE AS PREMIER LIVE ON ADELAIDENOW

9AM: Sources this morning said Right faction powerbroker Tom Koutsantonis was poised to win a mega-portfolio of energy, which would include his current mining responsibilities and additional work in the area of power supply and security.

There is also speculation he will take development from Deputy Premier John Rau.

Infrastructure Minister Pat Conlon is also expected to have increased responsibilities.

Mr Conlon is a former member of Jay Weatherill's left faction, who has since become an independent.

8.50AM: MPs have begun arriving at Parliament House's Balcony Room for the Labor Caucus meeting to appoint Education Minister Jay Weatherill as premier. Two new ministers - expected to be the Right's Chloe Fox and Left's Ian Hunter will also be appointed.

MIDNIGHT: PREMIER Jay Weatherill will reward his supporters, accommodate new talent and stamp his authority on the Labor Government in his first cabinet.

Two new ministers - to replace outgoing Premier Mike Rann and former treasurer Kevin Foley - are likely to be Upper House MP Ian Hunter and Deputy Speaker Chloe Fox.

Mr Weatherill hasrefused to comment on any changes saying "you will have to find out tomorrow".

Mr Hunter is the state's first openly gay MP and is expected to be the only Left nomination in Caucus this morning, taking the Left spot in Cabinet originally tipped to go to the Member for Mawson Leon Bignell, who has fallen out of favour with party powerbrokers.

The Advertiser understands key Weatherill backer and close Left confidant Grace Portolesi is among the

winners tipped to be promoted from her current Aboriginal Affairs portfolio to a more senior education, early childhood and child protection role.

Mr Weatherill has said education and children's services will be a primary focus of his government.

Agriculture Minister Michael O'Brien is expected to be promoted to a new finance portfolio especially aimed at management of the Government's business units and general finances. It also will give him the opportunity to act as a link between the business community and Mr Weatherill.

Internal sources said Mr O'Brien was being repaid for what had been described as "an abortive early attempt" to become Mr Weatherill's deputy that delivered much-needed numbers and momentum to the leadership handover.

Mr O'Brien also is expected to be made responsible for public sector reform, which was one of Mr Weatherill's key portfolios when he was first appointed to the ministry.

Ms Fox is slated to pick up responsibility for TAFE and the skills agenda, while Mr Hunter could become responsible for Recreation, Sport and Racing.

Deputy Premier John Rau also will be counted in the winners' column for surviving a concerted move to see his Attorney-General's job handed to Transport Minister Patrick Conlon. Mr Rau, originally earmarked as Mr Rann's successor, is said to have fought hard to keep the prestigious ministry. However, sources said he would lose the tourism part of his responsibilities to Upper House leader Gail Gago.

Other changes include Health Minister John Hill to keep his current portfolio as well as Arts, and Families and Communities Minister Jennifer Rankine tipped to be moved to Police and Emergency Services with Multicultural Affairs as well.

Environment Minister Paul Caica, who has been impressive in his handling of water issues, is expected to get an expanded portfolio responsibility to take in Climate Change and Sustainability, which had been the responsibility of Mr Rann.

He also could get Aboriginal Affairs.

Treasurer Jack Snelling is expected to pick up Mr Foley's portfolio of Defence Industries, while Housing is likely to be hived off into the infrastructure portfolio.

Mr Weatherill also is preparing for subsequent moves - one of which is a plan to install his chief of staff Simon Blewett as an Upper House MP within six months to replace the current Legislative Council president Bob Sneath.

This would pave the way for Upper House backbencher John Gazzola to be President.

First Weatherill Ministry available here;
http://resources.news.com.au/files/2011 ... nistry.pdf

[stumpjumper]

Champagne entertainment!

We've got a lot to look forward to:

Rann must be feeling pretty resentful - kicked out early and his man Rau overlooked for Premier... Will he fire a few shots before taking the Puglia option?

Atkinson is beavering away - he's got an FOI going into Grace Portolesi's activities (he pronounces it Porto-LAZY) in an attempt to paint her as exactly that - lazy. Atco has also lodged an FOI against - sorry, 'into' - John Rau's operation for unspecified information for unspecified reasons...

Chloe Fox, recently recruited by the SDA, holding her seat by her eyebrows, is a now a minister. She might be ok; she's smart and has every reason to work hard, but she may be desperate enough to cut a few corners.

Will Foley be able to shut up in the cheap seats at the back?

There's more, but I've been away and haven't caught up with the latest ratbaggery on North Terrace and Kent Town (SDA office).

[[Shuz]]

Stumpy, didn't you know that Peter Malinouskas rocked up at State Parliament last Friday, just before Labor Caucus voted in Jay as the new Premier? Presumably so that he could overlook the proceedings and make sure that everything went to (his) plan. Why this wasn't brought into question and scrutiny by the media is beyond me.

Rann's been sitting silent ever since Friday. If he were to 'fire a few shots' he'd have done it by now. So much for his threats and claims that he would out all the internal bastardry that's been going on.

As much as people like (you) to speculate, Puglia's a far away dream. Sources tell me he's already lined up for private-sector job based in SA after retiring from politics - which is looking to be much sooner rather than later.

Labor's already preselecting candidates for Ramsey and Port Adelaide. Port Adelaide Mayor Gary Johanson's thrown his hat in the ring and is running as an independent. I'd declare it's official - the campaign has begun in the Port. I'd expect a by-election in early-mid January instead of 'Mad March'.

Isobel Redmond and the Liberals are eerily quiet as ever. Where's all the media attention and hoo-haaing about Labor's 2 policy backflips in just as many days? If I were a politican, or in my generous capacity as a concerned citizen, I'd advise them to jump at the cameras and spruik something like...

"I'd like to thank Labor for taking up on yet another Liberal-initiated policy. This proves once again that Jay Weatherill leads an incompetent Government with 13 of the same Ministers as the previous Rann Government, whom were notoriously incapable of getting policy right the first time, if ever at all. This shows that it's time for a change of Government, lead by a new team of fresh faces, with a clear direction about the future of South Australia, and restore the trust of South Australians by making sensible decisions and getting policy right the first time."

But no, nothing of the sorts. Just another day sitting on the opposition benches, flicking through old pages of Hansard, smelling the leather, counting the tiles on the ceiling, pretending to look busy.

I hate Labor, and I hate Liberal. But I'd preference Labor ahead of the Liberals. The Liberal's silence is just deafening. Better the devil you know.

[metro]

that's the sad thing in this state, the Labor government are pretty average and really bad at times. But the Liberals make them look good, and even if the Liberals do win, without a huge landslide win, they will barely hold on to government for more than 1 term. In government they just stuff things up. They build lots of white elephants and have fights over leadership of the party.

The last Liberal government only lasted 2 terms but we had 3 premiers, half a freeway got built, the wine centre got built and quickly became a white elephant, lots of roadworks were done in Ovingham for a few months for a bridge that was never built over rail lines, instead a bridge got built to nowhere (hindmarsh island) and then sale of ETSA, the city's bus system was privatised, plus an affair with Motorola that cost Premier Olsen his job. The only good things that government did were: the convention centre, and the Heysen Tunnels.

[Aidan]

that's the sad thing in this state, the Labor government are pretty average and really bad at times. But the Liberals make them look good, and even if the Liberals do win, without a huge landslide win, they will barely hold on to government for more than 1 term.

That looks to me like wishful thinking. There's a huge incumbency advantage, so reducing a government's majority, let alone getting rid of them, after a single term is difficult unless they've done very badly.

In government they just stuff things up. They build lots of white elephants and have fights over leadership of the party.

The last Liberal government only lasted 2 terms but we had 3 premiers, half a freeway got built, the wine centre got built and quickly became a white elephant, lots of roadworks were done in Ovingham for a few months for a bridge that was never built over rail lines,

I don't recall hearing about that before - when did it happen and why was it never built?

instead a bridge got built to nowhere (hindmarsh island) and then sale of ETSA, the city's bus system was privatised, plus an affair with Motorola that cost Premier Olsen his job. The only good things that government did were: the convention centre, and the Heysen Tunnels.

You seem to have been a bit charitable to the Libs there, failing to mention some of their biggest failures: the water contract (with irregularities in the tendering process), the Big Stink, the Sellicks Hill caves (which were potentially a great tourist attraction until the government allowed them to be destroyed on the grounds that they might disrupt quarrying operations) and their failure to recognise they had any alternative.

[stumpjumper]

It's too bad you can't ditch the whole parliament like a bad rack of scrabble tiles - tip them all flailing and squealing into the Torrens and get a new selection.

Nice daydream. But I suspect there are too many of them for the work they're required to do in SA. Commerce has streamlined itself - big companies no longer have buildings full of managers and support staff they once had. The critical thing is not the number of people needed to make decisions, but the quality of the decisions. There are towns in the UK and the US with about the SA's annual gross domestic product and population - Manchester/Salford in the UK for example, seems to get by well with a 'supreme council' of ten (equivalent to our state parliament) informed by a web of local representatives (equivalent to our local councils).

Back in the real world, we're stuck with what the system gives us. That would be the party system. Instead of the best available talent competing for the jobs, we get a mixture of talents who have been able to climb up the ladders of their parties. Some are good, some not. The worst examples tend to be those on both sides who get there by birthright, patronage or various means other than merit. Both parties have too many of these.

Shuz, that's interesting about Manilauskas. Weatherill is obviously there with SDA approval - he's a compromise candidate as Rann was.

And the Libs are hopeless as ever. Bruce Hawker's strategy of putting all Labor's energy and funds into the vital marginal seats got Rann and Co back in despite Rann's appalling personal polling among other problems, while the Libs needlessly spent time and money protecting the already respectable margins, and sensitive egos, of powerful members in secure seats while new talent was left unsupported.

Rachel Sanderson is a case in point here. Not only did she knock off Lomax-Smith without much help from head office, but last week she turned down an invitation to join the Queen Adelaide Club, the ladies' version of its North Terrace neighbour the Adelaide Club. Two pluses for her, in my book. Sanderson is down to earth, smart, hard-working and not a product of any faction. Not only do the Libs need more like her - the whole parliament does.

Back to Weatherill. It will be interesting to see how much he toes the SDA line.

Ramsey and the Port. Hmm. Johansen might be a bit Liberal, but on the other hand, Labor with Foley as the main character really screwed up with Newport Quays and destroyed the state's timber boat industry, so there's plenty of ammunition against Labor down there. The real costs and benefits of DefenceSA have never been revealed either. Maybe Conlon's grand plan for elevating South Road could be stopped in favour of a new route from Murray Bridge to Dry Creek getting the B Doubles right out of the city altogether.

Who knows? As I said, it's entertaining, if nothing else.

[stumpjumper]

Here's a rare pic of SA's fearless leader - former (and many say still) SDA boss Senator Don Farrell - photographed recently with some of his associates.

Don vetoed attempts by ex-Foley staffer Stephen Mullighan to gain pre-selection for Rann's seat of Ramsay, awarding the prized safe seat instead to Zoe Bettison, a former strategist with Hawker Britten, the NSW Labor Right's key adviser. Zoe's win follows Hawker Britten's help in getting the poorly regarded Rann government over the line by simultaneously piling resources into marginal seats and fanning the flames of long-standing envy between the family-based factions of the Liberal Party. Farrell also allowed only females to run for Ramsay and Port Adelaide, where Labor Left apparatchik Susan Close will run on a 'we are listening' platform. This line will be strongly differentiated from Rann's 'We will re-connect with the electorate' which turned out to be a joke as Rann went to ground for good after the election rather than be jeered every time he stuck his head up.

I (vainly) quote myself from a few posts ago:

As it is, and if as you suggest Ramsay and Elder have been 'given' to the Right, the Labor party members of those electorates should be angry they haven't had the chance of pre-selecting their choice of candidate. Labor in NSW made an art form of imposing candidates from head office, and look where Labor is in NSW today - reviled, out of office and a byword for everything that's wrong with modern machine politics.

If I were a loyal member of the local branch for Ramsay, I'd be p*ssed off. Fortunately for the hard-headed, self-interested political strategists, SA electors have short memories, and are endlessly forgiving. That's why you hardly hear a car horn being used in anger in Adelaide. We're too nice to our politicians, who play us like wood ducks all the time.