http://www.ambitgambit.com/2005/11/22/more-on-broadwater-preselection/ Ambit Gambit Sat, 11 Feb 2012 19:31:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.ambitgambit.com/2005/11/22/more-on-broadwater-preselection/comment-page-1/#comment-1047 Jim Nicholls Fri, 07 Jul 2006 13:28:54 +0000 http://localhost/ambit/?p=1018#comment-1047 The blue ribbon seat of Broadwater was evidently too good a prize for a bloke who is principled, who is passionate about what he believes in, who believes in people politics, not factional politics. All I wanted was a fair go but even that was too much to ask. I was always going to be rolled. I was told at the outset by a very senior party figure that I need not apply to stand for Broadwater because I would not get through. I was told that even if I did win the seat would be gifted to the National Party. I believe the preselection was nothing but a charade. The factions had earmarked the seat for their own. The people who really mattered, the ordinary rank and file members, were never going to be trusted to make their own choices. They were denied a full field of candidates from which to choose. They were even denied their request to appoint a scrutineer to oversee the no vote. How crass is that? This is cronyism running wild. The outcome is that candidates are chosen behind closed doors according to their ability to brown nose their factional masters. The losers are the ordinary party members and the electors of Queensland who have to make do with Party stooges. Exaggeration – baloney. For the record, I am prepared to allow interested persons to sight my qualifications and C.V. first hand. You can't say fairer than that! The blue ribbon seat of Broadwater was evidently too good a prize for a bloke who is principled, who is passionate about what he believes in, who believes in people politics, not factional politics. All I wanted was a fair go but even that was too much to ask. I was always going to be rolled.
I was told at the outset by a very senior party figure that I need not apply to stand for Broadwater because I would not get through. I was told that even if I did win the seat would be gifted to the National Party.
I believe the preselection was nothing but a charade. The factions had earmarked the seat for their own. The people who really mattered, the ordinary rank and file members, were never going to be trusted to make their own choices. They were denied a full field of candidates from which to choose. They were even denied their request to appoint a scrutineer to oversee the no vote. How crass is that?
This is cronyism running wild. The outcome is that candidates are chosen behind closed doors according to their ability to brown nose their factional masters. The losers are the ordinary party members and the electors of Queensland who have to make do with Party stooges.
Exaggeration – baloney.
For the record, I am prepared to allow interested persons to sight my qualifications and C.V. first hand. You can’t say fairer than that!

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