The Young and the Odious

You might have assumed that the NSW Election was a point of crisis for the far-right in the NSW Liberal Party. Their endorsed leader, Peter Debnam (remember him?) was demoted and replaced by the relatively moderate Barry O'Farrell, who instantly set about making clear his belief that the machinations of David Clarke and his ilk were no longer welcome in the NSW Liberal Party, and had never been welcomed by the greater public.

It would have been nice to think that this would be the last we see of this troubling epoch in NSW politics. The powerbrokers, broken and defeated, are left to slink into the darker corners of history, tails between their legs, to allow true party democracy to be restored.

If only.

This week's announcement that the notorious Alex Hawke plans to challenge long-term plodder Alan Cadman for the seat of Lindsay was certainly a suprise - but it was a very unpleasant one. To get an idea of Hawke, I'll yet again link Chloe Hooper's article in which he plays a starring role, , and remind you that former Liberal leader John Brogden took the quite extraordinary step of personally naming Hawke, the instigator of the right-wing takeover of the traditionally moderate Young Liberals - as one of the instigators of his political demise. Hawke is at the vanguard of a very unpleasant and anti-democratic trend.

As this week's fascinating episode of Four Corners revealed, such people do not enter politics has nothing to do with the basic interest in improving society that is held by the majority of politicians; even nothing to do with advancing the principles held by a particular party - but instead, everything to do with the gaining and wielding of personal power and the serving of personal agendas.

I've said it before, and it's worth reiterating - such a trend is a serious threat to our political system. This is true enough on a State basis, but even more concerning should it spread to Federal politics. I predicted right-wing challenges on moderate MPs - the notion of challenging long-serving but unspectacular MPs in safe seats provides a much quicker path to power. It will be interesting to see whether the situation is duplicated in similar seats as further Federal preselections open.