Comments on: Oz endorses the Right

By: Luke

Luke — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 04:27:43 +0000

I’ll admit, losing 35 of your own votes would have made the Left panic a bit….and I didn;t predict it. My cynicism is unfounded.

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 03:15:05 +0000

And there was you saying the presidency “was genuinely in doubt”… ;-)

By: Luke

Luke — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 03:11:21 +0000

Truth be told, I’d much rather win a washing basket full of wine and choclates than a position in the ALP. It’s easier, and there’s no chance you’ll be dudded out of your prize…I think the raffles are the only things at Conference where the rsult is not known ahead of time, aren’t they?

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 02:49:11 +0000

Aahh.. that’s what it was. They announced the winners just before the returning officer’s report.

By: Luke

Luke — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 02:40:29 +0000

….I did win a raffle though….

By: Luke

Luke — Wed, 30 Nov 2005 01:02:05 +0000

Me? Only if I didn’t know about it, mate! Now I need to find out…..

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 09:53:50 +0000

Incidentally, congratulations. You got elected to something or other didn’t you?

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 09:52:51 +0000

First, I don't hide my factional allegiance. Second, I don't think the WA Inc stuff is unhelpful to Sarah Burke. She is her own woman, and thinking people treat her as such. Third, as I pointed out above, The Oz failed to mention that the Presidency was previously held by the Left/New Right alliance, and that if Sarah Burke won it would be an upset with potentially serious ramifications for the factional alignment within the party. To its credit, The West reported on all of these issues. Even the WA Business News had better coverage --- at least they mentioned the other candidates. I just thought it was a pissweak article.

By: Luke

Luke — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 08:54:40 +0000

I just feel that as a Left person, you should have disclosed that, if you were going to pointing out the factional issues at play.

Secondly, I think that to drag in the Johnstone challenge is irrelevant, as he was always going to get up, whereas the presidency was genuinely in doubt. That, and the ‘Burke angle’ made it a valid news story. I don’t think it was at all unbiased – they talked a lot about WA Inc, which could hardly be seen as helpful to Sarah Burke.

By: Robert

Robert — Tue, 29 Nov 2005 01:42:39 +0000

In what sense, Luke?

Gareth, I don’t think you can justify writing two articles about Sarah Burke’s ambitions without (1) talking to the Sharryn Jackson camp, or (2) mentioning that if she had succeeded it would represent a significant change in the party’s factional arrangements. Something The West did right, incidentally.