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

Well Bob no not while I can still tie my own shoes.
Bob will gather the know littles.
Thought my whole history of posting here showed my views about changes needed and faults within my party.
A curse of getting old is, you see things, learn things, that others have not yet seen.
Now I want others, remember, do not turn your back on truth, to take up my challenge.
It has been made many times, as many as threads I started to call my side to answer for its wrongs.
Tell me, how many dare,of the faults in Abbott's conservatives.
I get feedback from greens, conservatives, true Liberals in real life.
Telling Me I should censor my views.
ALP/UNION past mates, wanting to put heads in sand, leaving party's clearly at risk.
I claim past events as reason enough to continue to want reform, Whilam spoke of the *the nearer Labor approaches electoral annihilation the more we claim it is indestructible*
The great man fought the biggest battle to change the ALP let it win an election.
He took on the true faceless men.
Called them the 12 witless men, rightly so.
So those in their 30,s, within my party could do worse than remember only in office can we change, first we must change.
And EXTRAORDINARY charges I should not say as I wish, from some who have never been other than mildly interested in the ALP is laughable.

That's right, Belly ! Devilishly clever ! Don't rush into his arms, just play a bit of hard-to-get ! In case there is a Katter landslide, wall-to-wall, i.e. a Katter-wall (yuk, yuk!), you may be offered a ministry. If not something even higher. Don't write it off, bloke, it's worth thinking about.

Meanwhile, the most obvious candidate to replace Senator Arbib is Warren Mundine: he's experienced, he has integrity and courage, and he would have the backing of many Indigenous people. That sounds like just the sort of person the Labor Party needs right now.

Joe

Not sure about Warren. Send the other one in to liven it up a bit though, that'd be amusing. Our first Muslim and fisrt ALP Indigenous person too.

Goodness me, Joe.

I was talking to a friend this morning about the Labor leadership debacle and I used the Thelma and Louise analogy too - great minds think alike : )

Joe I am not taking your bait, yes I am from the right in the ALP.
You promte me to try to start a thread about factions.
BK is a Joe like figure, as is Barnaby Joyce, No real substance but many like those who shout loudest.
Labor is not doing bad,its policys are so far in front of the negativity Republican/conservatives Abbott leads you will need a telescope to see them.
Mundine yes, followed by Noel person being given a big role in Aboriginal affairs, and the next GG position after.

Thank you, Poirot,

no, mine is an ordinary mind, nothing great about it, but I'm happy to learn from the wisdom of yours :)

I have just been knocked over by a woman on a run away pogo stick.
Well it seemed to have been out of control.
She was muttering I will show them as she passed and shouted at me to bow?
I saw her again! on TV, standing with Bob Carr!
What is the great man doing in company of such a bad pogo stick driver?
He a student of American history, bright and brilliant, has been given Foreign Minister, great choice.
Bob, mate, watch that pogo stick, it hurts.

Belly, time to close this thread. You blew your chance to get into the Seante and maybe be the Foreign Minister yourself.

But I do fear Carr in this job, since his track record in NSW seems to be, umm, somewhat tarnished.

Which is why be bailed out of course, so as not to cop the blame for his subserviance to Sussex Street and to NSW developers.

Under Bob we can look forward to ever more US bases in Australia, ever more US made war machinery, and this joint strike fighter, well, we'll end up paying for the whole development of it. for a measly six planes.

Shame the Wongo didn't get that gig, even if Carr filled your spot still.

But I do like your allusion to the rampant pogo stick, that's a masterstoke description of her trajectory so far, all over the place, like a mad womens s.. t.

Hay Belly, don't forget Carr can't drive, [a car], so he wouldn't know how bad that pogo stick lady[?] was.

She certainly has not damaged her reputation as the red witch, with this act either.