Labor in Chaos as Civil War with “Dangerous Greens” Escalates!
The Labor party is in chaos over its latest salvo fired at the Greens, the party that helped Julia Gillard form minority government.
The Prime Minister has recently slammed the Greens as “extremists.”
More recently, Union boss Paul Howes described the Greens as “loopy” and “dangerous” and called their very existence “a threat to democracy.”
Not to be outdone, New South Wales ALP secretary Sam Dastyari has called for an end to “automatic preferencing” of the Greens, a move that would see Labor preference the rabid right-wing party Family First ahead of their traditional left-wing alliance with the Greens.
The recent attacks against the Greens have caused concern within Labor ranks with a number of senior MPs now openly questioning the bizarre behaviour of the Prime Minister and other Labor party stalwarts in starting an unnecessary “civil war.”
Long-time federal Labor MP Laurie Ferguson has spoken out against his party’s attacks on the Greens, describing it as “clumsy” and that Labor should not be resorting to “personal denigration”.
Mr Ferguson, who is a former Labor frontbencher but now sits on the backbench, says he concedes that the Government needs to make it clear that the Greens are not running the agenda, however he has hit out at Gillard’s approach to the issue.
“I think it’s been a fairly clumsy, late-in-the-day effort to indicate that we have differences with the Greens,” Mr Ferguson told ABC News.
“Just to disparage, attack and ridicule them is not the solution.
The Greens have warned that any decision by Labor to preference the Coalition ahead of their party would be a “gift” to Mr Abbott and could hasten the return of WorkChoices.
theguttertrash.com 
• Abbott is a threat to democracy
• The media is a threat to democracy
• The Greens are a threat to democracy
Everyone other than the union hacks, factional warlords and faceless men who run the ALP are a threat to democracy!!
We may need the union hacks one more time, if we are serious about replacing Julia with Kev. After that the industrial wing can disappear, no longer a threat to democracy.
Milne and Hanson-Young have the air of the fanatic ideologue about them. I’d put them in the same league as Phoney Tony. That makes three fanatic ideologues in one parliament. God I’m even starting to consider Katter and Joyce as sane!
Barnaby has some refreshing ideas.
No wonder the bloody public are as confused as I am … am I, The Public?
It just demonstrates that the ALP have some intelligent people but absolutely no political nous at all
How does it go…..?
“Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit.
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”
LOL! 🙂
Wally, its almost like a description of X ‘n’ Y Gen … and BB’s … 🙄
Oh, oh … wait fer it!
“its almost like a description of X ‘n’ Y Gen”
AGEIST SOD!
Wait…
What’s that I can hear…
Someone waving a walking stick in a safari suit ….”age is just a number…”
65 is the new 40
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/pm-rams-home-the-state-of-play-20120711-21wbe.html
The state seat of Melbourne has been Labor since 1908 and is apparently about to switch to the Greens. ALP polling suggests that this is because people hate Gillard, and this electorate is determined to send a message to Canberra.
Certainly the state Liberal government has had plenty of poor publicity lately-
• Its own travel rorting
• Police ministry political interference
• TAFE funding slashed
• Widely reported decision making inertial
• Leadership speculation
Ordinarily the ALP would be looking to be in good shape in a by election. But not this one, and Gillard is the reason.
With the Greens in ascendency, the ALP in decline, and adverse media reporting about the Liberals is there any possible way that the barrackers can “blame the media”?
Someone waving a walking stick in a safari suit ….”age is just a number…”
I’m off to Lowes, this morning to pick up the new suit for my Taswegia trip … guess what colour it is? Need to be properly dressed if i meet up with, Bob …
(is that being gayist?)
“guess what colour it is?”
Beige…?
Or are you going for that two-tone look, – grey slacks with a navy blazer….?
http://www.retronaut.co/2012/02/mens-jump-suits-1970s/
I think TB has his work cut out to make a selection on colour. Go for light blue TB!
These ‘ageist’ comments are appalling and I would just like to remind the honorable gentlemen on the other side that we have impeccable taste in most things…including fashion.
I get most of my clothes from Vinnies or the Salvos and in a university town I fit in nicely.
‘NSW Labor leader John Robertson has stepped up his party’s attack on the Greens by ruling out ever signing a power-sharing deal with the minor party amid a sharp escalation in anti-Greens sentiment within Julia Gillard’s federal caucus.
‘Mr Robertson has also declared the Prime Minister’s deal with the Greens to secure their support for her minority government was poorly structured and that Ms Gillard had been “sadly let down” by her partners, who had blocked significant reforms such as Labor’s plans to use mining tax receipts to reduce business taxes.’
Matthew Franklin and Sid Maher in the Oz
“Ms Gillard had been “sadly let down” by her partners”
I suspect the feeling may be mutual.
Here ya go … girls … eat yer hearts out!
http://www.lowes.com.au/products.aspx?catid=1
‘The national vice-president of the ALP has declared Labor should never again automatically direct preferences to the Greens, accusing the minor party of being out to destroy the ALP and of “doing great damage” to progressive politics.’
Sid Maher and Joe Kelly in the Oz
I can see you in the pink one TB, perhaps with a paisley shirt.
Gillard’s “negotiating skills” are amply demonstrated by-
• the huge fallout involving her partners in government (where are all those happy smiling faces now?)
• Andrew Wilkie’s trenchant criticism of her personally, for her lie to him.
I suppose if you’re after a demonstration of “negotiating in bad faith”, then Julia has the skills.