The close knit community of OLO needs to take a stand and offer a solution to the woes besetting the nation today.

Mark Arbib has gone, generoulsy self-immolating and leaving a vacant ALP Senate spot to fill in NSW.

Let us hear the message from Julia, our Prime Minister regardless of where we place our votes, and unite behind the OLO Senate candidate, Mr. Belly.

Belly would make a fine candidate for the ALP and we can all vouch for his integrity, honesty in debate and forthright manner, no matter where we each sit on the political colour spectrum.

Let we at OLO advise Sussex Street on how to solve their self-inflicted wounds.

I don't know, Blue Cross, I've had occasion more than once to distance myself (to the left) of Mr Belly when he's mid-stream. That is, he would clearly occupy a centre-right position in the Party(men's)Room and the fallout would sully OLO's vital Left faction. And I'm the whip!

TBC are you out to get me?
In such a job I would need a separate seat!
Glass around it, knife protection too.
While first reminding the other team it is not a public school play ground, my task would be Eddy Ward like.
Or even the much loved father of Cretin Crean.
Tell it like it is.
I am bared from such, for 100 reasons.
I put party before faction, want more true believers with talent not more Lawyers and upwardly mobile twits.
Want branches with open doors, not one wheeling in the aged , after telling them how to vote, so even branches are power bases.
TBC I want, for my party, for yours, for Conservatives, and the Liberals Abbott's team is sitting on.
A basic honest theme, that party first is not a cover for at any price, not a reason to reward idiots with such seats.
It will be a reward and a prop a gift, that senate seat, for a person who may or may not be a true believer.
It may, go to some one who has an IQ of less than average.
My party needs truth, it will prosper by it.

All such seats are gifts, one only has to look at the list of names being touted for it to realise that the vacancy will be as wasted as all the other filled seats are now.

You would be no less qualified than any so far thrust upon us all.

Since we like to pretend to ape the Westminister system so much, it must have passed notice that MPs there frequently act as 'hostile witnesses' asking question that do not favour their Party, and voting against it should they feel it benefits their electorate.

We need that here too, and an end to this nonsense of 'conscience' votes.

None have any such conscience when it comes to pouring tax monies into propping up their business mates, or funding religions, or not caring two hoots when their economic policy stabs community members through the heart. Farce should not be allowed.

I think you'd do fine there, although as Squeers points out, you'd hardly challenge the core issues of concern, the single action point of ever increasing growth without ever redefining what growth might be, so in that sense, you'd slot right in with all the other right wingers slouching around in the public funded trough, which covers every last Senator there, even Big Dougie, the last bastion of tarriffs and handouts for the wealthy.

TBC, I think you’ve got Buckley’s of OLO getting engaged on this topic. GY has launched a similar thread and I started one yesterday, each inviting a “what can ALP/JG/Gov. do to win the next election?

The answer seems to follow a familiar and boring line, its Abbot, he won’t make the next election, Turnbull will make a come back, blahdy blahdy blah.

Why does no one want to speak to the issue of what the GOVERNMENT needs to do to stay in office?

If it’s ALP policy that the electorates are choking on, which ones and what can they change? If it’s the economy, what can the Gov. do to convince the voters that it is better than we think?

Just saying JG is going to sell what we have even harder won’t cut it. Are we likely to believe her more now than this time last year? I think not.

You are right that we need to hear from the ALP supporters as to what THEY need to be done. Is it Policy? Is it Caucus? Is it Ministers? Is it Sussex Street? Is it the Trade Unions? Is it the Green/Indy Coalition Partners?

I’ve offered my two bobs worth, good luck with the rest.

Spindoc,

About the 'new Labor party': as Louise probably asked Thelma as they hurtled over the cliff, "What do you think we should do now ?"

I've heard on the grapevine that Belly is in urgent and secret talks with Bob Katter to stand for his Party at the federal election in a few weeks' time.

And when is the ABC going to extend "Moving Pictures' on Sunday mornings to a full-hour program ? So much material, so little time !

Wouldn't be dead for quid