The first thing the ALP needs to do now Belinda Neal has lost her pre-selection for the seat of Robertson is tell Kevin Rudd that the new candidate likes to be known as Deb O’Neill, not Debbie as he called her yesterday.

The second thing is they need to stick a big picture of Neal on the wall of the state secretary’s office as a reminder that the members of the party are much better at choosing candidates than they are.
It sounds pretty simple, but it’s a lesson that’s been long in the making, and one the Labor heavies in NSW are yet to fully grasp. And it’s not just important for voters and party members, as contrary to what you’d expect, being imposed on one’s constituency is no tea party for a candidate either.
The Member for the Illawarra-based seat of Cunningham, Sharon Bird, has lived to tell the tale. But in 2002 I was sitting in the back of a stuffy room at the Wollongong Iron Workers Club as the then-HQ-imposed ALP candidate was raked over hot coals backwards by the union movement.
Bird had been what they called in those days “N40d” in by head office as the candidate in a by-election after the retirement of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Stephen Martin.
It wasn’t pretty. One woman even cut up her ALP membership card, and Bird spent much of the meeting looking and sounding like she was about to cry.
She lost the seat for the ALP for the first time in its history in that by-election to the Greens Michael Organ. Organ was a most unspectacular MP, who Bird then knocked off in the general election in 2004, and thus Cunningham was recovered.
Lesson learned? No.
Belinda Neal was dropped in the laps of the people of Robertson in a sweeping move by ALP head office at the 2007 Labor conference that mostly relied on the dazzle provided by the then-new candidate for Bennelong, Maxine McKew.
Deb O’Neill didn’t get the chance to run for pre-selection in her home seat that year. And the rest, as they say, is history.
The Liberals might have been calling for the disendorsement of the controversy magnet Neal, but there’s no getting away from the fact their candidate Darren Jameison has a much tougher fight on his hands now.
Not only is Deb O’Neill well-liked and well-spoken, she now has 98 of a possible 169 rank and file ALP votes safely tucked in her back pocket, something Neal never had to catch her when she fell.
Robertson, the most marginal seat in the country, will now be a must-watch during the campaign.
Lesson learned? Not quite.
The NSW ALP state secretary Matt Thistlethwaite was politically assassinated by the union movement last month. To console himself he’s been given a Senate spot.
The powers that be obviously deemed him incapable of running the party, but perfectly up for the job of representing the people of NSW in the Upper House.
The more things change ...
Facebook Recommendations
Read all about it
Punch live
Up to the minute Twitter chatter
Ugh. RT @Colvinius: Lord Monckton urging mining owners to buy up papers & TV stations for political influence http://t.co/xRUgErn5
RT @JohnHillMP: “@ToryShepherd: Star of Greece #happinesshttp://t.co/rPrvB4sL” Welcome to my electorate. #enjoy!
Recent posts
The latest and greatest
Gillard’s mapping a route but will probably still be routed
Julia Gillard and her advisers believe they can see a narrow path to victory for Labor at the next federal…
Kevin 2.0 could be better. Or it could be even KRuddier.
As key moments go, it ranked with Gough Whitlam’s dramatic dismissal speech branding Malcolm Fraser…
Working women need to escape the grog bog
Can you hear a faint sort of teeth-grindy sound? No it’s not the rats in the roof gnawing the wires…
Nosebleed Section
choice ringside rantings
From: Other stuff to be angry about today (with video)
DOB says:
For the last 2 summers my local beach - which is a kid's beach really (but it has a nice cafe - thats my excuse) - has been overrun by jetskis. So when I go off for an idyllic morning of sun and sand I might as well just go down to an industrial plant and soak up the noise and fumes. My area is a bit… [read more]From: Match of the century!
Pete says:
Since when has Australia been a land full of whinging, whiney and just plain annoying people. Seriously, we have to take a long hard look at ourselves and notice that we have it pretty damn good and that instead of whinging about every single article ever written we could perhaps be happy and enjoy things.… [read more]Gentle jabs to the ribs
No wuckin forries. These nuckin futs are tuckin fops
Well, puck me with a fitchfork. The F-word is apparently an acceptable part of Australian speech. That’s… Read more
Most commented