The four “Reagan Socialists”, whose cunning scheme to get elected to the Hume council with professionally designed material pledging rates freezes and spending cuts succeeded, have stunned local observers by voting up a Liberal aligned councillor from Sunbury as the Mayor for the next year.
Socialist Left Councillors (Carr sub-faction) Ros Spence, Helen Patsikatheodorou, Vic Dougall and Geoff Porter combined with conservative Jack Ogilvie to freeze out their Labor colleagues as part of what critics have condemned as a “sleazy deal.”
Ros Spence, a lawyer by training and the alleged brains of the operation, conducted the negotiation with the former Bernie Finn ally, independent conservative Jack Ogilvie who has been a local councillor in the Sunbury area since the 1980s.
In return, Spence has been appointed the council’s Municipal Association of Victoria delegate, enabling her to extend her influence throughout other councils, in a planned re-enactment of the domino theory.
The cunning plan to lock out the Labor moderates has been equated by Labor insiders with the dark days of Eric Locke’s rule of Head Office, where everyone but the Left were locked out and a Pol Pot style of leadership was transacted.
It’s a family affair in Hume too. Ros Spence – who works for SL MP Liz Beattie – is married to feared leftist with military training Kosmos Samaras of Greenvale.
Helen Patsikatheodorou works for federal MP Maria Vamvakinou, who attended the council meeting last night, the only MP in attendance, despite reportedly battling serious illness in the form of pneumonia. Maria apparently came straight from the Airport to the Broady Town Hall.
Councillor Vic Dougall’s wife Joanne works for Maria too and she is believed to be Vic’s puppet-master. Vic has previously served on the council where in three years, he spoke around four times as part of his clearly very effective effort in giving other councillors a go at meetings. He partly succeeded in that by sleeping through many of the meetings.
“This Famous Five of four socialists and a Tory are now firmly in control of Hume and will have take responsibility for what happens now. The most experienced councillors have been frozen out,” said one concerned local observer.
VEXNEWS (Archive) 
Great for the future of the Greens.
No self respecting young left wing person could associate with the Socialist Left these days and the days of their inner city MPS are numbered.
Does that mean that O’Gilvie is now joining the Socialist Left?
What will Bernie Finn say?
Communist cooperation with the extreme Right.
Not since the days of Fred Farrall, the Socialist Party of Australia Mayor of Prahran. The SPA were the pro-Moscow Communist Party. Fred was supported by the Toorak Liberal Councillors to freeze out the Labor Right.
Seems the same today in Hume. At least there is one consolation. Ann Potter, a patriot councillor, defeated One Nation sympathiser Jack (or Steve) Medcraft.
The SL got rid of Gary Jungwirth too. Gary is one of Victoria’s most respected and able councillors, yet the SL did a deal with the conservatives to ensure he was voted out. Disgraceful.
The Socialist Left and the extreme right getting into bed together reminds one of the Stalin Hitler pact.
Commo Minister Jennings is a tool of the Stasi, the Stasi of the EPA. What is news about the SL doing deals with right wing Liberals and One Nation? Jennings supported Michael Freshwater (One Nation) who was elected in East Gippsland. It was on Vexnews, Victoria’s most authoritative news site. Congratulations Vexnews.
O’Gilvie is the key man with the Sunbury Ratepayers Association known locally as the Ratbags Association. They championed Bernie Finn for years. Now they are championing the Socialist Left.
Will Bernie be joining the Socialist Left?
O’Gilvie hates Jo Duncan the local labor MP for Macedon. He will claim all the credit for whatever the State Government does right and freeze her out of local newspapers.
Big chance he will run against Jo at the 2010 state election.
These Socialist left types pretend to be marxists but really they are unprincipled opportunists who will sell out anybody including the ALP.
Yet when the SL and Right work under the same banner of the “ALP” no-one seems to complian. Funny that.
For how many years is this new alliance going to run?
Is O’Gilvie Mayor for 4 years?
O’Gilvie is looked after by a well known developer.
The Socialist Left used to complain vigourously about that developer and his links with O’Gilvie.
Does this mean the developer is now looking after the Socialist Left?
O’Gilvie has been saying for years that Sunbury should get out of the Hume Council.
What does he say now?
The socialist rats have struck again
Bernie Finn is too busy and pre-occupied with his favourite pursuit – playing with himself!!
“These Socialist left types pretend to be marxists but really they are unprincipled opportunists ”
Marxists are unprincipled opportunists by their very nature. This is why they killed over 100 million people during their murder spree last century.
Kosmos and co in the Socialist Left say they are the only principled group in the ALP.
We know they are extremists who will do over anybody to get their hands on any power.
Emily is quite right.
Young radicals are turned off by these excesses of the Socialist Left. The Greens can only prosper.
I hear the deal was done before the election a disgrace to the ALP these SL’s are, they should be expelled.
Guys, it is Ogilvie, the new socialist left leader
It is Jack to his mates.
Will the Socialist Left recover?
Go Greens Go
vamvakinou will be out soon, after allowing a Liberal to be the Mayor, sooner the Greek Mafia are out of the joint the better
How does Vamvakinou explain this atrocity?
Who moved the motion?
We want his balls cut off.
What a way to run a listed company, especially in the media, even if it is the struggling and poorly-governed Fairfax Media.
CEO David Kirk was ousted at a board meeting yesterday, along with Sydney Morning Herald editor, Alan Oakley.
Fairfax shares jumped to $1.62 after the news came in an ASX statement at 10.20am, but as the initial enthusiasm faded, they eased to be up just half a a cent at $1.495 at midday. The market knows that changing the captain of the SS Fairfax doesn’t alter the arrangement of the deck chairs when the iceberg is straight ahead.
The naked ambition of John B Fairfax and his chosen CEO, the trusted Brian McCarthy, to take control of the management and the board is now all but assured. Next cab at the rank will be “Melbourne” Ron Walker as chairman and the empire will be back where it belongs, in the safe hands of “people who know best”.
McCarthy is now acting CEO until the next board meeting next Wednesday (nice to see it announced officially this time), but calls are already coming from broking analysts and major shareholders for him to be made full-time CEO of the company. McCarthy was formerly the boss of Rural Press, which was controlled by the Fairfax family. It was picked it up in a fire sale after Warwick Fairfax’s act of filial hubris failed and the company collapsed in the early 1990s.
McCarthy learned all he knows from long time Rural Press CEO, John Parker, who also attempted to teach Ian Law, now running PBL Media. McCarthy was the cleverer apprentice. A possible rival might be Joan Withers, a former director and now head of the NZ operations. But the Fairfax board wouldn’t go for a second Kiwi CEO in a row.
With two mystery board meetings in as many weeks and the editor of the Sydney Morning Herald and the company’s CEO gone, the major shareholder has told business journalists that it will not stand in the way of a cut in dividend, before the holders of the other 86% of its shares are informed.
That arrogance of the Fairfax family showed up in this quote from the above story from Nicholas Fairfax of Marinya Media, the main company of major shareholder, John B Fairfax.
“We would have no problem with the reduction in the dividend,” Nicholas Fairfax told the Herald yesterday. “In principle it will come as no surprise to anyone who followed Rural Press that Marinya has a conservative view on balance sheet structure. We would be supportive therefore of any action to reduce Fairfax’s debt if it was in the best interests of shareholders.”
The company currently pays out 80% of earnings as dividend, or 20 cents a share. Given the slump in revenue and earnings across the sector, that’s obviously unsustainable.
Fairfax isn’t alone in seeing a slump in revenue and earnings since July. The Seven Network, the country’s most successful TV free-to-air TV group, has warned of a drop in earnings of up to 50% this half. News Ltd papers here are suffering earnings slump across the board as classified ads, especially jobs, dry up. Two news editors in Melbourne and Sydney have been replaced at the Herald Sun and the Sydney Daily Telegraph. News is cutting jobs, slowly and quietly (like Macquarie Bank); there’s nothing like the blood and gore which flowed from Fairfax’s 550 person chop in Australia..
Last month, Fairfax’s chairman Ron Walker told shareholders at the publisher’s annual meeting to expect ”tough trading conditions for some time”. A major policy change like a cut in dividend shouldn’t appear to come from the largest shareholder’s statements. It looks as though what the reality is; that the private interests of John B Fairfax are running the business affairs of Fairfax.
Given the poor outlook for the sector and Fairfax, a cut in dividend is actually very sound, but it should have been revealed to the market first by the company, with the major shareholder then supporting it. A board meeting last week ago (which started as an audit committee meeting and turned into a fully fledged meeting) discussed the dividend but the position of David Kirk was raised. Kirk wasn’t at that meeting. He was in Melbourne trying to calm the antsy staff at the Melbourne Age who have been upset by the headstrong management of Victorian boss, Don Churchill.
Then there were rumours yesterday that the Fairfax board was holding another quiet meeting in Sydney and Alan Oakley was “stepping down” (to use the Fairfax euphemism for being “planked”) from the editorship of the SMH.
This week’s sharp downgrading of the entire sector by Goldman Sachs JBWere (with no real recovery now until 2011 and 2009 and 2010 basically tough years with little or no growth), was a message to all media managements here.
Overnight the US cable programming giant Viacom revealed it was sacking hundreds of people because of a slump in revenues for its supposedly near recession-proof businesses which include MTV and Nickelodeon. UK media companies are sacking staff weekly, the Financial Times is cutting working hours and weeks and anyone earning over $US50,000 a year isn’t getting a pay rise. The Daily Mail Group has chopped 400 jobs, The Independent, more than 90, and possibly up to 200.
Fairfax isn’t alone and changing its CEO doesn’t change a thing.
Puppet Porter moved it
Andrew, you have published many articles about the stuff ups & incompetence by Vamvakinou. Can you summarise them into one article?
A very senior federal cabinet minister says she is the worst Victorian labor MP in Canberra.
Isn’t it time we improved the representation from Calwell?
Whoever Porter is should be kicked out of the party immediately.
The Greens should use this story for recruiting on the campuses next year.
The left wing Labor groups are struggling and this story should help to bury them.
Yesterday they sacked another editor. Today they sacked the CEO. But the problems at Fairfax will get worse, not better, unless and until someone sacks the company’s board of directors.
Fairfax Media is suffering from an almost total absence of direction, strategy, comprehension of its problems or understanding of its business.
Of course, David Kirk was way out of his depth and added substantially to the Fairfax malaise. The same is true of his predecessor, Fred Hilmer. Between them they contributed a decade of misguided and misjudged “leadership” of a company that requires reinvention in an age of momentous turmoil in media and journalism.
But don’t blame Kirk or Hilmer. They are not the culprits. They did not appoint themselves, and they did not endorse their own strategies.
The culpability for the smoking mess at Fairfax, and for the death-by-a-thousand-cuts of Australia’s best journalism at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age, lies entirely with the board.
A board made up of a former retailer, a former property developer, a financier, a former luxury goods executive, a former IT executive, a former TV executive and two members of the founding Fairfax family. A board that does not understand the basic DNA of its own industry. A board that has demonstrated appalling misjudgement in nearly all its key decisions for a decade. A board that is as far out of its depth as a toddler without floaties in the deep end of an Olympic pool.
The idea that Fairfax Media could emerge successfully from its current turmoil under the current board is prepostrous(sic). And it’s only when this is understood by the major shareholders — including, presumably, the beleagured (sic) and much poorer Fairfax family — that this company and its newspapers will have a chance of surviving the current maelstrom intact.
For journalists and those who care about quality journalism, watching the assassination of the Fairfax brands by this board is an unfolding tragedy. And, believe me, there is no solace in the fact that this will soon become a requisite business school casestudy in the incompetence of a corporate board in managing change.
The words in today’s announcement of Kirk’s “resignation” to the Stock Exchange, by Fairfax chairman Ron Walker, summed up that tragedy: “During his more than three years in the role, David has been an outstanding CEO of Fairfax Media. He and his team have led the complete re-positioning of the company, from a metropolitan newspaper publishing business to a position in which the company is now clearly the leading media company in Australasia”.
Apart from “and”, “the” and “a”, not a word in that statement resembles reality. These are the words of the chairman of a company that has been hijacked and destroyed by a board of directors whose epitaph will read: They murdered Australia’s best journalism and newspapers without knowing what they were doing.
The chaos at Fairfax, the exposure of the grand plans and upbeat statements as just so much spin, is more than just a sad story about a newspaper company. It is a generational moment in Australian journalism and public life — the moment when it became crystal clear that newspapers were no longer going to be the main, or most important, forum for serious journalism and public debate.
That does not mean that journalism and public debate will die. It does mean we are in the middle of a profound paradigm shift with implications for every aspect of our democracy. Things are still playing out, and will do for another decade or so, but the depth of the crisis is clear.
I am an optimist. I believe there is catharsis. But for now, let’s talk newspapers.
I am not saying they will die. And I know they still employ some fo the nation’s most talented journalists. But anyone who has been kidding themselves that everything would somehow be okay in the long run now needs to face up to the fact that we are looking at enormous change. Newspapers, if they survive at all, will be less important, smaller in circulation and more limited in purpose. We will need something else as well of and instead of newspapers.
I wrote in my blog this morning that newspapers would not recover from the global economic downturn. There were already fundamental problems with the business models. The level they reach through the next two years will be the level they decline from, rather than the level from which they bounce back.
Fairfax, because of its heavy reliance on classifieds that are fast disappearing to the internet, has been at the pointy end of the problems. Cack-handed management over nearly twenty years, and particularly in the last ten years, has sped the decline.
There were other possibilities for Fairfax. A decade or more ago, it could have chosen to invest heavily in quality content, and become known for delivering that both to individuals and other media, rather like a quality press agency. Even a couple of years ago at the time of the Rural Press takeover, it could have chosen to capitalise on its position as the only major media company (other than the ABC) with true depth of local and regional presence to provide both niche local content and a view of the nation like no other.
But by the time of the Rural Press takeover, it was probably already too late — and the truth is that there was never any sign that either Rural Press or Fairfax management actually understood the core business — journalism. Now that no longer is the core business of Fairfax.
And the truth is that all these options would have meant reduced profitability, and that is not something a publicly listed company, where the executives are rewarded on profit performance, can ever, ever say to its shareholders. The truth is that our publicly listed media companies are not able to carry out the depth of experimentation that will be necessary to find new models for journalism.
There will be plenty of others around to tell Captain Kirk everything he and his predecessor, Fred Hilmer, did wrong.
But there is a bigger structural issue here. History tells us that those who dominated business based on one technology rarely or never manage to dominate the replacement technology, when it comes along. Even if Kirk had been a management genius, that would have been a hard reality to overcome.
Fairfax Media may well survive as a company. Kirk’s legacy is the diversification away from newspapers and into internet advertising sites such as RSVP and so on, as well as radio. These mean that Fairfax Media is unlikely to disappear, but it is unlikely to be the home of premier Australian journalism in the medium and long term.
The Australian newspaper will continue, at least while Rupert Murdoch and his mother survive, but its long-term fundamentals are really no healthier.
Yet, and this is the bright spot as well as the tragedy, there is absolutely NO EVIDENCE of declined appetite for serious journalism. Total readership figures, including online, are up. Consumption of news has never been so high. Seeking news and information is a fundamental human need. We need to keep this firmly in view, because for those of us who care about journalism, it is the foundation of hope.
What the internet makes clear is that the linking of news with Big Media is a modern phenomenon, based on the invention of the printing press and the broadcasting technology that came after the printing press. Now the internet has loosened that linkage. We have advertising sites that do not include journalism.
We also have sites that contain news, and opinion, but little or no advertising. I am not only talking blogs. There are now numerous Australian internet-based journals carrying quality content, some selling ads, others not, some covering their costs or arising out of the research and thinking done in the university communities.
Is this enough? No. People underestimate the importance of journalistic skills. Finding things out is hard and dirty work, and eventually if you want to uncover important stories, people will have to be paid to do it — experienced, mid life people who, while they might not expect to get rich, will need to pay their mortgages.
New business models will arise. They already are arising.
The ALP National Executive should be informed of this bastardry.
Maybe they could take the appropriate action.
This week’s Parliamentary sittings couldn’t come soon enough for Malcolm Turnbull. Last night’s split on the Government’s infrastructure bill capped off what turned out to be a shocker of a week.
Yesterday Turnbull and the Prime Minister missed Question Time to attend the funeral of Afghanistan casualty Lieutenant Fussell. Gillard and Bishop stepped in. While Bishop looked more comfortable than during her enforced silence in Question Times earlier this week, the difference between Government and Opposition was stark. One side has a deputy who looks every inch ready for the top job, the other does not, and both sides know it.
Despite pressure from those noted Labor fans at The Oz, Bishop’s not going anywhere for the time being. Her fate is in her hands, whether clawed or not.
The Nats also left the reservation not once but twice this week, over carbon sinks and infrastructure. Fiona Nash took a bullet for crossing the floor, resigning from her shadow Parliamentary Secretaryship. There was criticism of Turnbull for letting her go, but it was the right decision — you can’t cross the floor on an issue in your own portfolio, which Nash did. But as one of the few sane and intelligent Nats, Nash will be missed, including by her shadow Minister, Greg Hunt. The party leadership should think seriously about replacing her with South Australia’s Simon Birmingham, even though he’s a Liberal. Birmingham’s a great young talent and an effective communicator who has been closely engaged with water issues.
This should be put into some context: in opposition it matters less if you cross the floor on the Government’s bills, and particularly so when the result is a foregone conclusion. Even so, the seemingly regular departures of the Nats confirm that making Barnaby Joyce Senate leader has, rather than curtailing his own tendency to wander, merely allowed him to take some others with him. In that context, the new tendency of strict Coalitionist Ron Boswell to cross the floor is a potentially worrying sign.
Meanwhile, the joint party room has started getting itself into a lather over asylum seekers again. There’s another split, this time within the Liberals, over detention. Petro Georgiou and WA Senator Alan Eggleston are both on the Senate-Reps Migration Committee and joined new Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young in a dissenting report from the current inquiry into immigration detention. In particular, they recommended detainees be held for no longer than 30 days before coming before a court. The report prompted a number of Coalition MPs to voice their strong support for the Howard Government’s approach to mandatory detention. Turnbull endorsed their views, on the same day he promised “innovative” new Liberal Party policies.
The only positive headlines Turnbull managed this week were for a stunt connecting the States’ difficulties raising credit with a possible Middle East investment delegation next year. Wayne Swan was casually dismissive of the idea of an infrastructure bank yesterday and the issue dropped from view, overtaken by end-of-year shenanigans.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this for Turnbull, trailing badly in the polls despite the economic crisis, with a divided party, shadow Cabinet ministers skipping votes, the Nationals demonstrating their independence and mandatory detention looming as a divisive issue inside and outside the party. Turnbull was supposed to take the fight to the Government with his customary vim and vigour, locking MPs in behind him by giving them the chance of victory in 2010 that they never had under Nelson, and getting the Coalition to a competitive poll position. The hope might have been that the Coalition would go into the summer break with a spring in its step and the hope — not that it would ever have been articulated in this way — that rising unemployment would further undermine the Government’s position in 2009.
That might yet happen but for now the summer break will mainly be an opportunity for Turnbull to worry about his shadow Treasurer and wonder which issue the Nats — none of whom are particularly fond of the former investment banker who leads them — will break on next.
During the week Kevin Rudd was trying to play up the threat to Turnbull posed by Peter Costello. That’s a long way off, and Costello could pull the pin at any moment and walk if he finds a job that suits him. But if the Turnbull experiment fails in 2009, those of us blessed with 20-20 hindsight will identify this week as where things started to go wrong.
Great story Andrew.
Should win a walkley.
Did not know how bad the Socialist Left are.
Amdrew hope you take up Arthur Cartwright’s request.
‘Ann Potter, a patriot councillor’ – what have you been smoking?
I hear her ALP membership is in question after her drunken attack on a Federal member and her staff.
The letter was drafted this afternoon and the shit will hit the fan by Monday. Quit now Potter before it is all over the mainstream media.
You can’t get expelled for telling the truth can you? Potter is the only one with the guts to tell it how it is. If I were her I would quit the party anyway.
Miss Potter verbally abused Maria and her entire office staff. They they then left the function in disgust. I have heard there have been numerous complaints lodged today, all against Miss Potter.
I agree with Anom – quit now and look after your sick Mum. You will regret it Miss Potter, you only get one mum, look after her.
truth is a defence. poor poor maria cant take the truth.
her staff are either councillors or councillor staffers husband and that voted for a conservative if. if maria had any decenncy she would sack tose rats mmediately as well as beaty sacking her staffer for this treachery.
What is wrong with telling Vamvakinou she is a rat?
Mo saved Maria last preselection. Who’s going to save her now after she worked against sitting councillors including Mo. I think Maria should quit and look after her health. She supported ALP socialists, latte sipping rats. God saves Hume but who is going to save Maria now.
I can not wait for preselection. I wish it could come earlier.
Maria is the drunk
Alcohol does not pass my lips, by Allah…
Mo please stay out of it. I am joining the ALP next week to protect Maria the saviour of Sunbury. She just bought a big farm in Sunbury to recover from her illness.
Mummy is so happy with me, she hasn’t been this happy since the last time Sav got it up.
I am the new improved Just_In McKeegan!!
She travels to Overseas quite often, is very quiet in parliament almost non exsistent, she does f all for callwell, doesn’t even live here, we are not good enough for her.
Who has the numbers for Mayor of Darebin. I hear that the vote is on Wednesday 10th December.
Maria Vamvakinou is the most lazist person she has a safe seat that will never go to the libs, she fakes illnesses, and spends half of the year in greece. Her kids go to private schools, she doesn’t live in Calwell. Most of the people in her office are from the Greek mafia. The list goes on, totally incapable of holding a federal seat, will never be made a minister, at least we have the premier in Hume, Maria, enjoy your last term
So lets attack Potter now for living the ALP belief, we belong to the one orginisation and support it.
Anne will look after her mum, i am sure, she has no need to resign, because she did nothing wrong, she may have followed her heart and her heartland, knowing Anne, she is ALP thru and thru and very genuine, throw as much mud as you want and good luck as she is very highly respected in the ALP, and as for her getting expelled, numbers mean everything.
The SL are idiots, Jo Duncan will be the next one to go, gutless at their best.
Anne Potter the most loyalist ALP person I know, if she had to say anything to anyone it would have been in the name of Labor, the SL tried to stuff her up in sunbury and she out maneuvered them, they are not happy, they don’t need a councillor in sunbury and would be happy to have Jihad Jack Medcraft in power. Very very sad
Asmar in Darebin
My ears are burning, just like that pedo I just set fire to. Vigilante justice made me everything I am. Man’s man.
I like Jack
Yes Ann only got in because of Doug Nobody and the Ireland girl. Medcraft out polled her by almost a thousand votes. In reference to the Ireland girl – her father and grandfather are not happy her votes went to Ann.
Time to return all this local trivia to the sandpit and appoint professional commissioners who have bigger things to consume their time than which intellectual bantam gets to wear the mayoral robes.
Steven Tsitas is likely to be the next Mayor of Darebin. A good bloke our Steve. A loyal member of LU. Pity the Scotts and Leightons of this world don’t want him, but they don’t control the council now and Steve is in with a chance.
I’m betting for Diana Asmar to be the next Mayor of Darebin.
I heard tonight it’s Diana Asmar. A lovely lady and a good Mayor. Steven next year perhaps?
Hume is a complete contrast to Geelong council. Geelong Patriots from the Right and Left have built a relationship based on respect for each other and are working well together.
Well Geelong are smarter than the idiots from Broadmeadows.
How warming to the hear that some people think I am a good bloke.Let me tell you good ALP people that I am a proud Koorie person who is prepared to stand up for the rights of the underpriveledged and because of that I am seen as a radical. I dont give a shit what anyone thinks, I will continue to fight for the underdog and isnt that the ALP philosophy? Potter cheated and I was defeated so be it. If the Govt had the guts it would change the system to first past the post. How is it that I can win primary by 1000 votes and get beaten by a stooge like McLeod, a proven nerd of the ALP.
And by the way Maria is a very effective member of Parliament and her staff are always willing to help me when I have an issue that relates to a member of the Sunbury electorate. So listen you boneheads leave Maria alone she is all right even though I dont always agree with her thinking and views. And she doesnt get pissed and abuse everyone unlike Annie of the potter.
Maria is a paranoid individual. As an individual person, she is alright. But she is influenced by the higher order of the Kim Carr. She is a nobody in Canberra, very ineffective member.
Will Vamvakinou now support Malcolm Turnbull for PM?
Vamvakinou does so little for labor, she really helps Malcolm Turnbull.
Great news for the Greens! Young people will keep on joining them.
Is there a good shrink up Gissie way?
Who for Maria or Ann?
Jack said “Potter cheated”. I hope you have your lawyers ready to take that statement on as I think you may see a lawsuit coming your way, as it’s defamatory to say the least.
Maria is a much more productive member than Brendon O’connor.
Maria has agreat team around her and as Jack said ‘Maria is a very effective member of Parliament and her staff are always willing to help me when I have an issue that relates to a member of the Sunbury electorate.’ Good on ya black fella! Thank god for Jack ‘Black’ Medcraft
Vamvakinou’s office is rarely open.
Maria is so effective that she would never be made a minister which Brendon O’Connor is. Take a look at Hansard to see how much she does, SFA. The only thing that Maria produces is people that purge on the office of government. She is worse than Theophanus (both of them)Find out how many times Maria has been to Greece during her term in office. She spends more time in Greece than she does in Sunbury. She can’t even live in the electorate, what does that say about her. Even Carr lover Beattie moved to live in her electorate, not Maria, Calwell isn’t a good enough place for her to live in.
A close sourse said that Maria wont contest the next preselection for Calwell. Kosmos will be rewarded for getting the trio up in Hume as a prize for him. He already stiched a deal today with Mo for the next round of preselctions. Mo will be rewarded with an advisory job with Kim Carr and a seat in State Parliament for 2014. Do the sum!!!!!! Watch for Mo to start heavily recruiting in Yuroke. Mark my word boyz and girlz including you Ann. Let the games begin.
So once again not being rewarded on ability but on how many people you can stack, Isn’t it too late to stack, maybe not. Has Calwell ever had a Minister in recent years, I think not because they consider the electorate as lackies, just follow the ALP line and vote me in and I’ll earn a fortune for the next few years at your exSPENCE.
2014, is light years away many of us won’t be alive let alone be interested in serving public office, i think you are dreaming and by then Mo will be a member of the Liberal Party because cyclical patterns show that they will be in government.
How can we find out how many times Maria has been to Greece since elected. councils have to provide there travel records why shouldn’t maria.
Potter has every right to challenge Maria, potter at least lives in Hume, unlike Maria. For Maria to back this deal is akin to treason, but not unexpected, her pension is secured, the kids are in a private school outside of hume, she doesn’t live in hume, next we will hear from Maria is that she is supporting Steve Fielding which wouldn’t suprise me
If Gavin Jennings, the EPA Stasi Minister, and Jenny Mikakos can support Michael Freshwater, One Nation clowncillor in the Shire of East Gippsland, then it should be OK for Maria to support Steve Fielding. The Latte sipping Socialist Leftistas prefer conservatives to Labor patriots.
There is a big difference between Vamvakinou & O’Connor. O’Connor is pro Labor.
looks like labor is tired of governing and they want to be shipped out
Bob Mammarella’s titanic achievements are not limited to Brimbank Council. THe S.L. ‘heavy’ also managed to get two of his protege’s across the line in Moonee Valley council’s West Ward. With 6 of the nine Councillors in the Valley being ALP the lone Green and two ‘Independents’ should be out of the game. However Bob’s minions, newly elected Crs Shirley Cornish and ‘Dr’ Ange Kenos are understood to be dealing with the outgoing ‘independent’ Mayor Giuliano to give him a second term. Great news (not!) for the residents who thought they were voting for Labor Councilors.
Its late enough now (after a few bottles) for Ann to shower us with her drunken rants. Ann please do yourself a favour and visit this http://www.alcoholicsanonymous.org.au/
Can anyone explain why the Socialist Left is destroying its brand?
Clearly Bob is copying the looney left in Hume!
I read all this stuff and realize that many of the people that engage in local politics today are bereft of all principles. It is really sad for me to come to this conclusion. At the exteremes, we either have the bitter and twisted folk of the the Sunbury ratepayers association, whose motivations are difficult to fathom. Their association with the Liberal party is well documented and acknowledged. On the other hand, we have the Alp leftists who are probably in the wrong party and as a result do not have any loyalty for their ALP colleagues. As an ALP member with long family associations with the party I feel it better that they all move on to another European style socialst left party and let the ALP work for its traditional working people base. It is sad for me to see Hume leftist Labor Councillors vote in a Liberal mayor so as to marginalise their ALP rivals. It is no wonder that the ALP is losing its voter base. The sad thing is that these same people will not be embarrasssed by their actions. Their ambitions have little to to do with the ALP or its supporter base. Most probably they will launch a vitriolic attack on me. To those who read this, read what they say and interpret their motives. They are clearly in the wrong party. We should see them off, lets have them expelled.
Perc, you are right. However, how do you get rid of these SL rats?
Perc or is it Ann, have you had your tablets yet?
How can anyone who is pro labor defend Vamvakinou after what she has done to the Labor Party?
How can you defend a drunk with mental problems?
Let me firstly unreservedly apologise for saying that Potter cheated, I would never mean that. The fact that she conned a young inexperienced candidate into thinking what she was doing was correct is scandalous and immoral but cheating: well I will let others make that decision. Just for your information Belmont rules the dictionary defines cheating as such:
to cheat is to act dishonestly or unfairly in order to win some profit or advantage, to trick, to deceive, to deprive by deceit, an unfair player.
Shit that sounds like the entire ALP!
Why does Maria for me mention red herrings like whoever this potter person is and not deal with the substance of this article?
I am sad that the people to whom I refer to have such little self awareness and principle. The same can be said of the one who calls himself Jack, ten fold, and much more. They can go on the attack; that is what they do to draw attention away from the facts. I remember my father used to say to me, when I was a boy and had done the wrong thing and needed a scolding; “don’t change the subjectâ€. This is what they do to create diversionary debate and get off topic. The disgusting and aggressive invective that they peddle is typical of their tactics and approach. Completely lacking in principles. Let’s get back to the issue at hand. These four ALP Councillors have banded together, to cut out their ALP colleagues and elect a Conservative Mayor to the detriment of the Australian Labor Party and its supporters. That’s what they have done!! Don’t change the subject please! And why have they done this? For the benefit of the citizens of Hume City? Of course not. They do this for their own purposes regardless of the ALP. They don’t care. The Conservatives are no doubt sniggering helplessly at the foolishness of these ALP Councillors. They are clearly in the wrong party. They are not true believers. They are opportunists who use the ALP to further their own career politics objectives. They have ambitions to enter State or Federal Parliament. We all know that this is the reason for their actions. If they lived in the eastern suburbs they would probably be members of the Liberal party and be calling themselves independents. The sad thing is that the branch members in the parts of Hume that they represent either don’t know, don’t care, are in their pockets; or don’t even realize that the are members of the ALP. But that is another story. Methinks that they doth protest too much. Deep inside, they know the truth. As for Jack, he probably doesn’t know too much at all really. Jack, you lost the election because, whilst your primary vote was OK, there are more people in Sunbury who can’t stand you than there are that respect you. That is why we have in this great country of ours a preferential voting system. It causes us all to make a final choice. I only hope that when it’s pre-selection time for these prized State and Federal seats, many ALP members will remember the actions of these people. I also hope that next time round we get some true Labor members standing for Hume Council to replace these disgraceful and unprincipled opportunists. Rather than these opportunist who have no Labor pedigree or principles.
Well Perc, for your information you are wrong again but I do love the way that you are expressing yourself for the party. I too am a fervent believer of the ALP principle and strongly believe that what was done at Hume is correct. By the way since when did mathematics change? You are a relic of a corrupt ALP past which is slowly eating itself alive in Victoria by its branch stacking and dodgy deals and the reason why we have preferential voting is to allow those certain high flying crooks who you would well know in the party a chance to survive and feed from the trough of priveledge.
Tell me one ALP member of cabinet who really gives a toss for his constituents and not themselves. I definately cant but there are four at Hume. You should try and follow their principle. The one good thing is a conservative person is Mayor and the other four ALP bozzo’s who didnt vote for him will never have control. And even better is the fact that Jungwirth, Abbouchie and White are no longer relevant or on Council.
Well there must be more who can’t stand Potter – after all he did thrash her by almost a thousand votes.
Off topic again I am afraid. It is difficult for some to concentrate on a single thread of discussion. I do understand this. So, as I have discussed; four (4) so called ALP Councillors have voted for a conservative Mayor. Their sole purpose for this being to sideline their ALP colleagues and advance their own political careers. One only need read the invective laden posts on this website, mostly from members of the ALP left, to draw this conclusion. Not withstanding the prosaic gems posted by Jack. Bless your little heart. Wake up and smell the roses. You betray your motives by your own treacherous words. I am sad to be associated with you, even if only indirectly. I hope that your plot fails to deliver and ALP supporters prevail.
Potter should do the honourable thing and resign. Her foul mouth outburst last week was enough to make ones hair curl! Is it true she has a drinking problem?
Well done Perc. No one is willing to defend these 4 so called ALP Councillors who voted to a reactionary anti Labor Mayor.
Now Perc please dont bring horticulture into this argument as you might find yourself way out of your depth. I have about as much love for your type of Politics as I do for the KKK and I rate both of them about the same.
The thing that fascinates me about the ALP is how feral it gets when someone does the honourable thing and actually makes a decision that is beneficial to the community that it is supposed to represent. Obviously you are a relic of the past and cant grasp this modern way of thinking and to say that you are sad to be associated with me well I never invited you in the first place you silly little commo!.
Hail the lefties at Hume I say Bravo!! The pain they have inflicted is beautiful especially for me as now I know we have four Lame Ducks on Council. Potter the abuser,Banham Yigit, Adam wannabe mayor Atmaca,and sooky la la Jessop.Four years of pain coming up for them.
Is council all about Labor for the likes of Yigit,Atmaca,Jessop and Potter? Did they tell this to the people who voted for them?
How can anyone say the new mayor of Hume is up to it?
He is a grumpy old man who regularly offends women & is well past his use by date.
Glenys dear whats wrong with a good old fashioned home grown aussie as Mayor. At least he would let you sit in the front seat of the car and allow you to have an opinion.
http://hume-leader.whereilive.com.au/news/story/code-of-silence-for-hume-councillor/
Ogilvie has offend many women in Sunbury & Hume.
Glad to see someone standing up to him.
Potter has offended both male and female!
Ann is a poor excuse for a councillor but what a magnificent drunk. I can hardly contain myself as I wait for her to self destruct in the finest Mark Latham and Nick (O’possum) Sherry labor traditions.
Ann apparently fancies herself as the next member for Macedon. ( Somehow I don’t think Joanne is too keen on it though)
It wouldn’t hurt her chances with Brumby to have a go at the Socialist Left. It seems Ann is very flexible with her views and can target her outrage accordingly.
Sunbury Liberals are also not happy with Ogilvie wheeling & dealing with the Socialist Left looneys on the Hume Council.
A bottleshop on every corner if I’m elected in Macedon. Thatshh my plegessh to yousss all.
The Liberal party welcomes Ann in her attempts to ensure the liberals take Macedon in 2010. Even Robyne Head could get up with Ann as the alternative
Leave the girl alone. She’s no whiner. Wino… Well maybe but whiner definately not. P.S Ann about the tab at the stonegrill, when can you fix me up.PPS The RSL want you to attend their next Wine and cheese night. Wear something nice this time luv.
What about that rot Peter Gavin wrote in this weeks Sunbury Leader. Let’s spell it out for the poor silly old goat
J-A-C-K M-E-D-C-R-A-F-T B-E-A-T A-N-N P-0-T-T-E-R B-Y W-A-Y 0-F V-0-T-E-S.
M-0-R-E P-E-O-P-L-E V-0-T-E-D F-O-R J-A-C-K.
Potter won the election by 917 votes.
Medcraft attacked voters in the Sunbury Leader for not voting for him.
Strange way to win support!
maria for me yuou really must be stupid. if jack won why is ann the Councilor? according to jack he won at the last state elction too but for jo duncan becoming the MP.Then he accuses the people of sunbury for not voting for him. jakas you can fool some of the people some of the time but never all of the people all of the time. You fooled them in 2003 and they woke up to you in 2005 and they sill onto you because you still lost and a lose you will be for ever and ever.
At the state election Medcraft polled 6% of the vote. He made headlines in the dailies by claiming he won!
This time he says he won, yet he attacks voters who did not vote for him!
Good to see the latte sipping lefties getting all excitied. You cant count the votes of drongoes who vote for stooges as serious. Remember what goes round comes round. And I will be sober enough to see it happen.
I think that these comments would make a great case for defamation for the elected councillor. Keeps the comments up here, as whenever the Councillor is alerted to the comments I would commend her to follow a defamation suit. Contact MB for a consultation, we would love to run this case.
jack said we have preferential voting is to allow those certain high flying crooks who you would well know in the party a chance to survive and feed from the trough of priveledge.
Wasn’t he was a part of the council that agreed to this system, from my research the voting changed in 2004 when he was in council. He voted for it and now it’s not good enough. This man doesn’t seem to realise that it would require a change in the constitution for this to be changed, not some 2 bit git from Sunbury whinging time and time again.
Medcraft can I encourage you to stand for the Australian Senate next time so that all of Victoria can tell you they don’t want you to be their representative. Hume have, Macedon has, now let Victoria tell you.
This man is trying to dirty the name of a great woman, I know this councillor and her family and found this site by googlling her name tonight. Attack her and you are attacking many people, she is a great worker for the community and as for her family, seeing what she has been through this week is amazing, no man could do this. She knows she is under attack but in her words family comes first so she wouldn’t even be reading this crap. Medcraft, you pulled me up in the street 5 weeks ago and all you did was bag Anne, I listend because I am polite, but you totally lost me, you bagged a person that is the most caring and sensitive person and your atttitude was most alarming. Grow up and realise that people didn’t vote for you and move on and stop attacking Anne, I judge people on their attitude and Anne is so positive and enthusiatic and I have never heard her bag anyone.
Maurie or is it Doug, you have an interesting angle on Politics and that suggestion mightn’t be a bad one.For your info you would know that the council was dominated by ALP hacks such as Jungwirth at that time and caucus made decisions of benefit to the party hence the result.
As I have said before I give an unreserved apology for any opinionated comments that may cause some annoyance to those reading them.
And jack2 you must be taking the wrong pills as your description cant be of the same person. Great worker for the community? Where? You obviously didn’t hear about her allegedly drunken rage in front of witnesses who, by the way are prepared to back that up, on poor Maria just because Jack Ogilvie got elected as mayor.And to go on with the old line that she got more votes no she didn’t she bludged her way onto Council with dummy preferences. And please don’t give me that family crap by stating that she has more than enough on her plate to look after, she is not alone.
If its all too difficult for her, she should do the right thing and resign if she really cares about them as much as you say.I would! Anyway, She wont be able to get anything done on Council for the next FOUR YEARS as she is now a “daffy”
The two Jacks in Sunbury love shouting at people, hate women, the labor party and trade unions.
Their bullying style works on some people who are frightened off. Glad to see there is some opposition to them.
the opposition is Anne Potter, she has the guts to stick it up to these pricks, she is one tough lady, and these men havent broken her yet but they have tried, the real story about the election process will come out, and how the Jacks bullyed Ireland, but it didn’t work.
How much did Irelands father give the Jacks for their campaign, they have to declare it afterall.
I reckon Ann Potter is really ugly and nasty looking. She looks like a horse.
Why the long face Ann?
you really are a fool. you have absolutely no idea of the elction process. you continually attack the person as u have no idea at all. if the caucus was making decisions then thats what they atre doing now. if its so easy to block out a councillor then that will mean that u admit that u have achieved nothing in the time that u were there. but that would be true in your case. the people have spoken twice and twice they didnt like what u had to offer and twice they rejected you. and nicole for a woman to attack another woman on her physical attributes is pathethic. i bet u are as ugly as a drag queen to be so jealous.
Hey come on guys its Christmas leave Nicole alone. I never knew good luck and best wishes were to be put on a return stupid!
It wouldn’t matter if I was as ugly as a hat full of A-Holes. I’d still be better looking than Ann Potty mouth
I thought financial and moral bankrupts were ineligible to stand for council.
I love alcohol
another jack sounds like a jolly fellow almost as stupid as percy.Good to see you sticking up for the girls pity you cant get your story right or is that left I dont know what the Politically correct thing to say is. Ah who gives a stuff anyway.
And I am sure you would not make those accusations to richard either would you? Go on I dare you….
It is amazing how good looking and focused on ALP mantra people get even at a cemetery car park when they are full of wine.
I love wine
I love Gough and wine
Ahh the goon bag ( preferably publicly funded) My friend and constant companion.
They have actually told him 3 times they don’t want him, 2 council elections and a state election.
What has a cemetary carpark got to do with any of this? You really seem deranged and completly irrational, you lost, face it.
Jack you can try all you like to bully her out of council, but she is one strong woman. Have fun trying to hitting at her while she is down, that is typical of you both, but you will be wasting your time as for Ireland, it’s not up to me to declare it’s up to you.
Well AJ I will be as honest as the ALP candidates and declare all my facts.I dont have to bully her she is the bully just ask Maria!
Why would she want to stay anyway she has got no support after knifing Ogilvie in the back.
I thought her family was her main priority? Why not put them first,
life is too short..
she wont get endorsed for Duncans seat so its a lost cause.
Hey Teller it takes one to know one! And isnt it good to see fran back on her feet I love her..
Teller of truths mark II,
Please learn to spell.
It’s cemetery not cematary.
Even Jack can spell it right so you must be a real dumbass
the problem with jack is that he is too stupid to know he is so stupid. thats why he will attack the person and harrass and harangue them believing that thats politics. he will attack ann and her mother as cowards are wont to do. simple tactics of bullies that really have no idea
Hey teller if you want us to take you serious at least talk in English as I dont believe you come from Roxburgh Park!
Now if I am stupid what does that make you because you seem to understand what I am saying. As I said before I am not the bully here Annie is: Just ask Maria,Joanne and helen not to mention Ros!
She rang them all and bullied them I didnt. Ann should do the honourable thing and resign from the party as she has disgraced the good name of Labor.If not I hope the powers to be have the guts to sack her.And mate I love fran she is my biggest fan because she is always talking about me. I cant wait to see her smiling face again.
My dearest friend, Teller of Truths.
Not only are you a poor speller, you clearly have no idea about grammar either.
For example, sentences should start with a capital letter. You should use an apostrophe for words such as that’s ( not thats or as you use in your pitiful Year 8 spelling)
Wont as you put it is spelt want
Harass has only one r not two.
Jack and Ann are names and must be capitalised
Clearly you have no hope of obtaining a position in my office given my penchant for grammatical exactitude. Hopefully though, Kevvy and his education revolution will be able to address your pathetic grasp of the English language.
Although admittedly its no too bad for the undeniable Sunbury bogan that you obviously are.
Learn to spell champ before you get back on here and embarass yourself again.
Kind Regards
Tim.
tiny tim and jack. the last 2 posts prove my point. and leave sunbury out of it its the best place to live
I saw that bitch potter outside coles on Xmas eve, I blew the shit out of her and all she could do was shug her shoulders, I would have expected more from her but she was so calm and collected, that it gave me the shits even more.
Well what would expect, she is a decent person and if she only shruged her shoulders so what, what did you want her to do give you the bird (which I would have) she is too nice to do that. And what a hero you are.
Ann is a very caring and loving person with the nicest smile.
Saw the picture on the front page of the Regional recently and wondered what had happened to it though.
Good to see that Ann has now moved her office to the main bar of the royal hotel. At least she wont have far to reach her stress relief tonic.
Didnt i see u there last week jack
does that mean u are sharing the office with her? Does it make u feel like u are a councilor again just being near a councilor?
I didn’t realize that AA met on that table! And by the way you keep forgetting one thing, Ann is only making up the numbers, as she has no input on council so that’s probably why she spends so much time at the bar with drunks like you.Thank god jack is mayor..
i am told that during your time it was u who was making up the numbers. and that u had no input into council just like uar acusing ann. is there any truth in that?
Tell me one thing she has done that has been of benefit to the community other than the pick up sticks? Maybe she should have backed jack then she might have had a chance to get the mayors role.
jack the question was about YOU dummy
Get off the turps and then maybe you will be able to answer
maybe if u got off the sauce u will understand the question was asked of u. i dont feel the need to answer for others they can do it themselves. so u gonna answer the question ??
well I had quite an input whilst on Council and was able to get a number of issues raised and completed.Mitchells Lane intersection, recycled water on sports grounds are just two. anything else you want to know.
sound like a litany of success. how much money did hume pay for the fixing mitchells lane. when was the decosion made by council to fix this?
considering its a state road please inform me of the councils decision to pay for this instead of the state. dont get me wrong i like it fixed, i use it everyday but i was just curiiuos of it thats all
Thank you
Is this jack the person known as Medcraft and also known as JAKAS?
yes jackie. it is one and the same. he doesnt like answering questions about himself just likes putting down anyone who doesnt like his views and personally attacks anyone who disagrees with him. he seems to have a fetish with the councilor that beat him at the last elections then went out and attacked the voters for not voting for him. im glad i didnt vote for him i knew he was like that from all the articles in the local papers. so i voted for a different candidate. the problem with him is that he thinks he has achieven everything that sunbury ever had since its inception and if u dont agree with him he will accise u of being a drunk. despite the fact that everytime im at the pub he is also there
For God’s sake woman! Learn to spell and punctuate, you vile Harpy.
Even I wouldn’t go near Annie. She can walk home as far as I am concerned. They may be low but I do have standards
I’m interested. My standards are pretty low. Oh wait sorry, forget what I just said. My mistake, I thought she was a bloke.
Jackie don’t believe anything this old tart tells you. In fact I have only been in the royal once this year so I don’t know what he is drinking but he is the one obsessed.
I only lay claim to things I have achieved but he cant give me any that his favorite person has done.Hey truth, tell them about the Sunbury community forum that you were part of last election that gave me the ultimate defamation which was agreed to in Court? Oops forgot about that did you! I haven’t..
Medcraft has a serious problem, he stalks people, he has an obsession with women and can’t stand to be beaten by them. god forbid what his wife goes through everyday.
he was beaten by Anne, he can’t except it and has to spread rumours. Karma will come his way one day, and to his mate the paedofile from Tasmania I think his name is Remy.
Now Brook why are you being so paranoid. I haven’t got a problem with being beaten by a woman I just cant handle cheats end of story! And as far as Remy goes I rarely speak to him and his comments were his own. By the way if you have proof why don’t you show some guts and report it. I wouldn’t stand for a Pedophile in my area as you know!!!
And by the way brook the public school system worked for you judging by your grammar. I can ACCEPT anything EXCEPT when it is spelt wrong. And don’t forget, you always start a sentence with a Capital letter. OK
How did anyone cheat?
Anne smells. She should wash more often
I agree. Ann has been a bit whiffy at the odd council meeting
Does she have BO, what’s the story, just want to stop her from being the next Macecdon Member, she don’t deserve it.
I think its the yeast infection that smells
Ann, how come you don’t visit anymore. Now that I’m no longer flavour of the month you drop me like a dodgy boogie board bag.
Fairweather friend
Sounds like trouble in Tuna Town
a case of one too many anchovies in the clam. Better start slapping on the natural yoghurt luv
Fishy, Fishy, Fishy Fish
this is great! all this ammunition for a defamation claim and she probably doesn’t even know this is happening
how refreshing to see the smiling face of Fran back on the street. Lets just hope her carer isnt Ann as that would mean she would have an excuse to do as little as possible and still collect her allowance from Council
I hope the old bag dies
jack you are a total fuckbrain and everyone knows it!u think that because you have a unnatural and pathological need to know bout ever1 you are doing right. what a joke. stick to making teenagers sick sticking your tongue down your wifes throat on bus rides to dinner.Least it stops it talking shit and maybe she’ll do Sunbury a favor and bite it off!
theres some nice rumours about someone going to take you to court for harassment and privacy invasion and some of your business mates 2 watch out for the process server at ur door or work hahahahahaha
love the new look Bernie Fatty Finn has been touting about town white jogging short with his shrivelled nuts hanging out real good look at the supermarket meat section was a real laff for all who saw but some were disgistipated
no1 likes medcrafty he is a fake and a shlonk merchant a bully and a con artist who got caught out
how come ur not working at whorlows no more? u were 2 much bad public face 4 them and u bad mouthed all the houses and sunbury as well if its so bad and crime is so bad as you told so many house buyers
MOVE THE FUCK AWAY no one will miss you idiot
No ,you would not want a KNOWN pedophile in your area but one who has changed his name is ok as long as no one connects the dots.
It’s only a matter of time others have mates who also believe in the right to know that you fly as your banner
Fran’s got a pong too
Mmmmmmm Stale Fanny
Word is Koori Jack Medcraft will apply to join the Sunbury branch of the A.L.P.
Medcraft hates the ALP. He thinks they are out to get him!