PATRIOT GAMES: Labor Unity Executive Elections // Faction Fun For All The Family

This evening, the conclusion of the thrilling and enthralling Victorian ALP Labor Unity faction executive elections will occur. For the first time, executive members will be directly chosen by State Conference delegates so provide an accurate gauge of who has a certain level of support from branches and unions.

Usually, the LU executive has been more honoured in being ignored than complied with, elected by a voting system easily subjected to manipulation but the new voting system has led the big names of the group putting themselves forward this time with many working very hard to get elected so the results will be interesting.

Here are the results, many will interpret the tea leaves about them, we won't. All patriots.

■ Dr Henry Pinskier
■ Robin Scott MLA
■ Bill Shorten
■ Jeff Jackson
■ Adem Somyurek MLC
■ Cesar Melham
■ Nazih Elasmar MLC
■ Theo Theophanous MLC
■ Senator Steve Conroy
■ Robert Larocca
■ Wayne Nader
■ Fiona Richardson MLA
■ Soon-to-be Senator Jacinta Collins
■ Ian Blandthorn
■ Michael Donovan

Game on.

FINAL PROOF: All Bets Settled, We Are Getting Hotter

Asking questions about climate change, whether it's real, what it means, what the consequences are for us, what can be done if anything about it, whether there are higher priority environmental issues and so on could land you in prison if the Greens party extremists had their way.

And yet a sceptic patriot Andrew H has forwarded to us possibly the most incontrovertible proof of the global warming phenomenon.

We report. You decide.

Game on.

ATTACK ADS: Democrats Getting In On The Act

Are we witnessing the beginning of a golden age of attack ads in politics, with the democratisation of video production and distribution resources, courtesy of cheap and easy video editing software and sites like Youtube? I certainly hope so. Keep them coming.

Interesting to note also this effort from the Australian Democrats was based on last night's news and was sent to us earlier this morning.

Game on.

RUBBERY: Newspoll Massively Understating Greens Party Primary

It's become fashionable behind the Latte Curtain to disparage Newspoll, despite its long record of being pretty accurate. And indeed the newspaper that publishes its finding is I think without dispute the best "quality" newspaper in the nation.

We saw just how hot under the collar some comrades can get about the polls with Socialist Leftard Paul Erickson getting into fisticuffs over the incident with the son of one Australian journalist (Leo Shanahan) who had dared to suggest that the looming federal election might be more competitive than the already gloating Kevin07 team is hoping for.

So much as I dislike joining the criticism, it appears there is a major problem with Newspoll's methodology. The poll published today, which shows a big Labor lead also shows the Greens Party to be on a primary vote of three per cent.

This is clearly wrong. It - sadly - dramatically understates the level of support for the Greens party. At the last election, they received 7.2% of House of Representatives primary votes. Since then, led by pudgy tuxedoed and monied conductor Al Gore, an orchestra of complaint, manipulated science and sky-is-falling fear has played up an absolute storm about climate change. There is clearly an issue for us all to consider about carbon emissions and pollution generally, but the Greens Party and their fellow travellers have greatly succeeded in dominating public debate on these issues.

Does anyone really believe that after three years of this cacophony that the Greens lower house primary vote is going down?

I wish it would go down to zero, the Greens party has become little more than the Trojan horse for the extreme left. People like "Greens strategist" Stephen Luntz was in various ultra-left militant groups prior to joining the Greens. Their Victorian executive member Andrew Nette was a full-time employee (the last of them I gather) of the Communist Party of Australia as it lived off the last of its Moscow cash. They are an extreme left party marketed as environmentalist.

And yet anyone believing that their vote has halved since late 2004 is just as much of a nutter as they all are.

Indeed, the most recent Galaxy poll, also highly respected, and also published in News Limited publications, has the Greens at a far more likely and worrying 9% of the primary vote.

It appears Newspoll has understated the Greens primary ahead of several state polls as well. Clearly there's something going wrong with at least this aspect of their polling, and we understand that there is much concern about it within the company.

Please visit excellent resources at Greens-Liberal-Deal or Greenswatch to learn more about the Greens party menace.

Game on.

WETS' BET: Baillieu Forces Talking Up Stuart Eaton As New State Director

Informed Liberal sources have exclusively revealed to us that former Red Ted senior policy adviser and "dirt digger" Stuart Eaton is emerging as Leader Baillieu's favoured candidate to replace Julian Sheezel, the Victorian State Director of the Liberal Party.

Eaton left Baillieu's office after last year's crushing election loss but remains in close contact with his former boss. Eaton has been on the adviser merry-go-round for a long time, having also served as an adviser to the uninspiring Senator Kay Patterson before she was bumped off by an unimpressed PM.

Kroger-Costello folks are believed to be thoroughly unimpressed by Eaton and will oppose him vigorously.

Game on.

CLUELESS: New Judge Snubs Kids' Cake Gesture

New High Court judge, Susan Kiefel has been an uncontroversial appointment to the bench but certainly seems to lack some basic people skills.

In a display of arrogance and pomposity unrivalled since the times when the Bastille and Versailles were stormed by peasants angered by the policies of the French monarchy including Queen Marie Antoinette, the judge had the following rather ungracious interaction with Canberra school-girls excited about the appointment of another female judge:

Outside the court Justice Kiefel met a handful of well-wishing schoolchildren who held placards saying, "2/7 = a good start".

She also agreed to cut their cake - which featured models of the court's seven judges - though she refused a slice.

"They made an effort to come and I thought it was absolutely sweet," Justice Kiefel said.

"I don't have any children but I do know enough about children's cakes to leave them alone."

Just as well Australian judges don't have to run in elections.

Game on.

LANDED GENTRY: Rich Envirocrusader Revealed As Environmentally Sensitive Land Exploiter

Geoffrey Cousins doesn't approve of developments on properties he doesn't own. And yet he has an entirely different approach to development on his own land.

GREED IS GOOD
The filthy rich envirocrusader, now the darling of inner-city leftiste book buyers and environmental activists, is embroiled in an unseemly row over environmentally sensitive coastal land in Tasmania he wants to develop into housing.

Locals want the multi-millionaire to put his money where his Green mouth is by donating the land to the adjacent National Park.

It seems it's one law for Gunn's whose project would employ thousands and another law for land developer Cousins who probably only needs to build a couple of roads, put in connections, get an agent to throw up a sign and whatever and he's made millions. He's already sold off a chunk of the land to Dick Smith who plans to build a resort there.

Such hypocrisy.

THUG BULLY
He is indeed quite the charmless man, used to getting his own way by throwing his weight around, with the Australian Financial Review reporting on Cousins' past life as a CEO:

According to an account given to The AFR by one of those present during a particularly fiery Optus Vision board meeting, an adjournment was called to let the brawling players cool down. During the break, Optus Vision's chief executive, Geoff Cousins, is said to have walked around to Switkowski and said, "Listen, you f...ing p...k, if you say one more thing, I'll throw you out that window."

Game on.