“We will have zero tolerance for disunity”, said Bill Shorten with a straight face as Caucus members exited a Party room sporting a number of knives between pairs of shoulder blades. Bill had done his factional homework long before the leadership vote that finally sent Albo and a few other Party faithful to Coventry. The farcical rank-and-file vote showed just how little respect Shorten has for a democratic grass roots Labor. What happened in that Party room under Shorten’s treacherous tutelage typified all that is despicable about Shorten and all that is repugnant about Labor. The rank-and-file tried to set Labor a course for reform but it failed because, behind Shorten’s false conciliatory smile of inclusion lies an obsessive- compulsive disorder of political infidelity. Bill knew the bribes he offered to pull those votes he needed from the Left faction could never be honoured. “If you switch sides and vote for me I will promote you to ...”, promised Bill. He pulled the necessary turn-coat votes all right but, predictably, Albo’s Left faction then refused to put the betrayers on the front bench for portfolio selection. The Rudd reform that gave the Labor leader the right to choose his team was cunningly replaced by the old AWU and NSW Right factional system that gives Caucus the power to select the front bench. Then the leader must try to fit square pegs into round holes with “suitable” portfolios. An impossible task because those who may be the most competent are languishing on the back bench under factional punishment for voting the wrong way. Albo played a straight bat while Shorten was playing the dirtiest game of all; announcing Labor had adopted a new, non-factional democracy. It hadn’t! It was still dictated to by Bill’s all-powerful, faceless Right and AWU factions and those who are now justifiably screaming blue murder are of Albo’s dudded Left faction. And why are the Left publicly livid with rage? Because they were duped by the master of duplicity, Bill Shorten. He got his votes knowing his bribes would be rendered worthless. Bill offers a reason for this travesty: “We have such a surfeit of talent we cannot please everyone.” Yeah Bill, whatever. Shorten is Abbott’s manna from heaven and that’s not good for anyone. Now Labor is irrevocably split with an incandescent hatred that can never heal while Shorten stays. The evil power-game Shorten plays has mastered his own and his Party’s destiny. - Larry Pickering. 15/10/13.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 07:16:01 +0000
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