John Gone
(Putting on my conspiracy hat...Or am I?)Does anybody else find the timing of John Brogden's resignation a little odd?
Brogden's busy hands and sparkling wit happened one night in late July, during the week Bob Carr announced he was retiring from politics. Why is it, then, that the public is only finding out about it now, and Brogden is resigning now?
I would have assumed pinching a Murdoch journo, then propositioning the Fairfax journo, would be two indiscretions fairly difficult to cover up from the media. Nevertheless Brogden apparently tried, initially claiming it was a fallacious "grubby" personal attack on him by the ALP.
So what changed his mind to then contact the media and admit not just his fun and games with the journos, but also his mail-order bride joke about Helena Carr?
Would this story ever have been reported if he hadn't initiated this contact, and if not, why not?
The QP conspiracy theory to try on for size is thus: Brogden had originally successfully managed to hush this up for a few weeks after the event. But then the right wing of his own party - a couple of whom are now gunning for his old job - either leaked or threatened to leak the mail-order joke part of the incident, forcing Brogden to 'fess up.
Brogden has always been a thorn in the far-right's side. He's a fairly bland, innocuous politician who never managed to lay any serious blows on Carr (bless Bob for labelling him a "featherweight of mediocrity"). Nevertheless, he was the Opposition Leader, and so long as he remained so there would always be at least a perceived threat of the far-right that the party would remain, horror, "moderate".
Such a threat is now gone and the party can march ahead with its extremist re-birth.
The lessons learnt for Brogden are: firstly, learn how to hold your beers better (Cadbury's girls are such a bad look at that level) and secondly, make leering and offensive gestures and/or proposition your own staff or folk in the public service who can be easily bullied into silence - not tabloid journalists.
No, I'm not serious. Brogden did the wrong thing and while I don't think it would have made any difference to the fortunes of the Liberal party if he had stayed on as Leader, he deserves some kind of punishment.
But Brogden, as a politician, also being a sleazebag, is no big surprise. It's like a Catholic priest giving all those alter boys a part in their hair - not unexpected.
With him gone for doing something most of his colleagues are probably also guilty of, the NSW Liberal party will now officially become a lot more dangerous. I'm not looking forward to that much.
posted by Sam @ Monday, August 29, 2005
8 Comments:
learn how to hold your beers better (Cadbury's girls are such a bad look at that level)
Or, drink less. Any self-respecting cadbury's girl knows how to make a drink last without making it obvious that you're dallying..
Or, even better, do what Apple did with the iPod Shuffle's lack of display - make it a feature! Be vocal about the fact that you imbibe only in moderation..
I'll go away before I get seriously self-incriminatory
(Oooh, pretty captcha!)
Yeah, you're right. The timing is definitely odd. Journalists were present at the function, so they already knew about it.
Carr quit on July 27. JBro made his gaffe on July 29.
I wonder whether sections of the media decided to wait while the story of Carr's resignation still held the public's interest, only to force JBro's hand and make him release a statement about this embarrassment just when he thought he had a clear shot against Iemma?
Trackback!
http://tinyurl.com/7cl99
Sam, I guess Phydeaux just ran out of friends. :D
I can't quite understand his decision to remain as the Member for Pittwater. I wonder how his electorate feels to have a yobbo for an MP.
I guess these actions proves he's not gay which was apparently an internal party assumption/otherwise for quite some time.
-Phil, Armidale.
I can't quite understand his decision to remain as the Member for Pittwater. I wonder how his electorate feels to have a yobbo for an MP.
Bronwyn Bishop is their federal MP as well, so I'd say they'd be pissed off with the Liberals in general.
and if Brogden had called it a "marriage of convenience", would it have been reported by the media? Probably not....
He admitted to the press (in a fit of pique)that the President of the NSW Young Libs was the originator of all this....and "he should wake up to himself".
Can't be the Prezz though because she's a young gel...but there are more than enough likely candidates for the accolade of Cassius of the Year
Has anybody seen the film "Gaslight"?
That's the feeling I get about politics and politicians, State and Federal, these days. What we think is going on is only a cover for what's really going on and no-one's going to tell us what's really going on because half the libs aren't telling the other half what's going on. I think I'll stop now before I turn into Ingrid Bergman. JT
Post a Comment
<< Home