Mark Platt II: Electric Boogaloo
Griffith’s Paul Williams is laying the blame for the Hinchinbrook ALP campaign at Mark Platt’s feet, too. The ABC ran Platt’s comment that he didn’t have the money to make it up to the area to campaign and I can’t imagine the ALP party machine would’ve been willing to fork out the money for a 23 year old uni student with no hope of winning to go to North Queensland and be seen in an Akubra hat pretending to be a local. The blame lays at the feet of Anna Bligh (for calling an election without 89 candidates locked in and ready to go) and the local branches in Hinchinbrook for not putting forward their own candidate. A party as established as the ALP, with a record majority, should not have trouble finding local candidates or even high profile non-local candidates.
The fact that the party which holds the claim to being the world’s first labour government more than 100 years ago had to settle for a 20-something from outside the region who didn’t have the money or resources to campaign really shows what sort of people are in charge of this state. The fact that the ALP weren’t booted out on their arses goes to show what a terrible, useless lot the LNP are. At least they didn’t dump Springborg for Flegg in the last moments of the campaign. It’ll be interesting to see what happens to the LNP after their first electoral loss. I can imagine Tim Nicholls will have a crack at the leadership only for it to be given over to someone from the Nationals’ side of the team, despite the fact that the LNP are having serious trouble making inroads in SEQ. Will Mark McArdle, the Liberals’ pre-merger compromise candidate, find himself being thrust into the leadership of the party or will he do the sensible thing and let someone else be the Brendan Nelson of the Queensland Pineapple Party?
So essentially you would have preferred if the ALP had not fielded any candidate? There was no local candidate, and denying Hinchinbrook constituents the right to vote Labor would have been far worse than any purported long-term effect. As you no doubt aware, campaigns are on my understanding self-funding. In an election where Labor MPs like Bonny Barry lost their seat, seats which weren’t Labor appeared never to be a priority.
Dr Paul Williams is a well-known Courier-Mail commentator, but the candidacy is what it is.
I would note also that by analogy every other candidate not campaigning in their local electorate in which they stood (be they LNP, ALP or Greens such as yourself) also would have done local damage to their respective brands.
I’m not saying that there shoud have been no candidate. I’m saying that it’s ridiculous that the ALP had to rely on someone who had no means to get up to the electorate to at least be seen. I can understand the lack of priority attached to LNP seats which were never going to go Labor but I think it’s a bit rich to be laying the blame on the paper candidate.
Mark,
I don’t have any problem with your assistance to your party. As Sam originally said, it took guts and is to be commended.
I am, however, terribly disappointed the ALP put you in such a position. I hope you encourage them to build their local branches so it doesn’t happen again.
On an electoral note, the LNP was always going to, and will next election, do an assault on Brisbane electorates. Good MP’s like Bonny Barry were always going to be in trouble if they got a swing away from them. And more will be in trouble next election too.
If the ALP want to retain government next election, it is essential that they start threatening the LNP in the regions by building good campaigns. Hinchinbrook, Maryborough, Toowoomba South, Beaudesert and Gympie would all be on my list.