Liberals
CHARDONNAY CORKED: Baillieu ally Helen Shardey departs, to be replaced by Krogerite
Helen Shardey, the member for Caulfield and shadow Health minister, has confirmed she plans to depart her state seat in the face of a local move for a new MP, as first revealed on VEXNEWS.
The news comes as a devastating blow to current state Liberal leader Ted Baillieu who begged Shardey to stay. Some interpret the resignation of one of his key allies and senior shadow ministers as an indication of pessimism within the Baillieu camp about the next state election due in November 2010.
The local factional boss in Caulfield, the highly regarded and prodigiously powerful Frank Greenstein is now expected to impose his will on the result, most probably delivering the seat to David Southwick, the heir to the Godfrey’s vacuum fortune.
Sucking up to Frank is a critical success factor in Caulfield and it looks like Southwick’s claim is very strong. He is a popular local figure and has a proven fundraising ability, insiders say.
Active Liberals tell VEXNEWS that the transition in a seat like Caulfield from the elderly members of the Baillieu faction to younger, more dynamic candidates from the Kroger group offers the party a real chance at renewal and hope they will become competitive against Labor, which has been in government in Victoria for nearly ten years.
The Baillieu forces regard Caulfield as enemy turf controlled by warlord Greenstein and won’t be opposing Southwick with their own candidate. They say with hope that Southwick is not an active factional operator and is “his own man”.
Discussion
12 comments for “CHARDONNAY CORKED: Baillieu ally Helen Shardey departs, to be replaced by Krogerite”
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Disco Dave is a Kroger man. To suggest otherwise is as silly as those pretending that Sarah Henderson is not a Jeffista.
I go way back with DJ Mickey K and his bro’, JA.
You heard it first here. JA for Caulfield. Guy for Malvern. Disco to replace Cooties. MOB for Higgins. The Mac protected from KOD attack, but in exchange, blanket ban on Wheres the Cheese Clarke replacing Guy.
Darling Helen we will have more time to cement our relationship under your satin sheets.
vacuum fortune… wrong Southwick folks!! but never let the facts get in the way of a good story. Helen has done a great job over a long period and it is unreasonable to expect her to continue to serve, she deserves a normal life… best wishes to her.
JA for Caulfield? Crap. DS to replace Andrea? Double crap. Helen has done a good job? Going now has earned her the customary testimonial event, instead of the candid opinions she would have had to hear during a preselection process.
Pauline Fegan HSU President for Higgins. She believes in all that costello stands for. She has used workchoices to sack staff. And she is doing to unionism what Howard couldn’t. Just have to get her to quit the labor party which she just joined last week.
She was always going to retire.
What’s hapening re Bighton?
Madge Fitz is assumed to be the successor to Louie Louie but have we considered the very safe seat of Sandy and the unremarkable sitting member?
Lets remember, whoever is elected…they will be liberals regardless. Do you honestly think the factions are THAT different, given they are from the same party? Both Kroger and Baillieu are wealthy families… seriously… why even bother distinguishing them through factions.
Wealth is not a matter of shame in Caulfield. It’s a borough full of comfortably off folks, & those who aren’t comfortable are mostly trying to get that way through smarts & hard work. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Lefty scum who want to suck off the taxpayer teat can piss off to the People’s Republic of Albert Park & write applications for grants to run tantric puppetry workshops for drug-addicted gay whales.