Federal Government
BACKLASH: Local LNP members "spewing" over Dutton campaign
Ambitious federal MP Peter Dutton who is attempting the “chicken run” from his Brisbane marginal after an unfavourable redistribution to a safer Liberal beach-front seat on the Gold Coast has provoked outrage from local LNP members over his “improper” attempts to “force” a result.
One local Gold Coast party activist asked VEXNEWS this morning “If Peter Dutton is such a strong candidate, why can’t he run on his merits? The truth is he’s not willing to fight fair. He’s a bully and those backing him have shown us zero regard and respect.”
“We need to maintain our already limited level of female representation. That’s why a local woman is going to win on Saturday to continue Margaret May’s good work, you wait and see” they predicted.
Minna Knight and Karen Andrews, two local women are expected to receive strong support on Saturday despite Dutton’s shock and awe effort that’s drawn in the federal leader, local and Brisbane newspapers, Tony Abbott today and all the way down to lobbyist’s husband Glenn Milne, who has a weekly column in the Australian.
Locals say Knight and Andrews are extremely presentable and accomplished women who would make much more of a national impact than a “another tired face from the Howard years.”
Minna Knight is a workplace relations expert with extensive experience in employer organisations and who worked for Joe Hockey in the Howard government and Karen Andrews, a successful Gold Coast entrepreneur and the chair of LNP McPherson federal division who enjoys strong support among the membership including local state MP Jann Stuckey and her powerbroker husband who briefly deciding contesting himself before pulling out in Andrews’s favour.
Today, in the Courier-Mail, Dutton has made it clear he will leave federal politics, refusing to contest his seat of Dickson if he’s not selected for the blue-ribbon Gold Coast seat of McPherson.
It’s that style of unsubtle approach that’s causing such heartburn.
The article – regarded as “provocative” and “extreme” by our local informant – outlines that the LNP’s new constitution includes provision for the President’s Committee including Bruce McIver, Gary Spence, Barry O’Sullivan and Ian Walker to overturn the vote of party members, if they don’t get the result they want.
Even Glenn Milne – the mouthpiece of last resort – was brought out on Monday to make it clear that local party members shouldn’t have a real choice over their representation in Parliament.
Locals have expressed concern about the heavy-handed nature of Dutton’s campaign, invoking threats from sources as high as Malcolm Turnbull to interfere with the right of hard-working local party members to choose their MPs. Long-term party member are believed to be very upset and one told VEXNEWS they believe many local party members could resign over the furore:
“We’re spewing over this. We won’t campaign for this man. After all, we’ve been through with the merger, this is outrageous. I can’t believe that Peter Dutton would conduct himself in this way. The high-flyer on Sky News is just a low-rent thug and dummy spitter. Blow this. The boundary changes in his seat mean he only needs a 2% swing to hold it (Dickson) and polls released yesterday showed the LNP is travelling well in Queensland. How can we win back government if we just hold up the white flag of surrender to Rudd?”
Party members involved in the preselection are believed to be planning to confront Dutton with his public strategy to bully them into supporting him and will ask him whether he will accept their decision or not before the vote.
He’d better prepare his non-answer. If he does have to be imposed over the top of a local democratic result, it won’t be a good look, although would be quickly forgotten by the public.
Discussion
35 comments for “BACKLASH: Local LNP members "spewing" over Dutton campaign”
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I wouldn’t do that… I wouldn’t need to do that… The minions recognise my brilliance… They just didn’t know it with my performances in WorkChocies and arse-kissing my boss because I would have had to go back to being public service admin assistant if Costello had got up… I am the greatest… trooly… You will come to recognise that…
I doubt he’ll go in with more than 30 votes. Bye bye Petie.
I thought Kirilly was quite tasty…
Looked like one of those fine laadies at Jupiters on a Saturday night. She’ll blend in quite well around here.
That’s if the Duttons ever move to the Coast, not likely.
Eff off, I’m not like that…
I beg to differ.
I’m ahead of all youse bitches.
I hear a lot of people asking these days “What ever happened to Ross Vasta?”
You went down Rossco
The only dumb blonde going down is you, bitchkreig.
I always thought were a nasty little c*nt.
You gone back to making pizzas yet Ross?
Not all Italian restaurants have pizza, you racist.
Did someone mention pasta?
What a waste of space Dutton is. Why are people surprised by his bully boy tactics. Everytime i look at him it is easy to imagine him in a room with a phone book under the jumper of some poor innocent. Wallop, wallop, wallop.
If he was any good he would battle it out in Dixon. They are the seats they need to win. Hope he goes down in the local contest and the top intervenes. Love to see tories fighting each other.
Kirilly do u sing for ur supper?
she’s not Arab…
They can’t see the woods through the trees, Dutton is the future of the Liberal Party. Those opposing him need to get over themselves.
If people like Minna Knight are any good and really stack up then they will find other seats, here is a crazy idea, try and win a seat off the government.
Right now the Party needs to go into survival mode and keeping people like Dutton is something that will assist with this.
Head office having the power over preselections is one advantage the ALP has over the Liberal Party, it let’s people with an understanding of the big picture have greater. input
Minna is a lightweight airhead.
Here is a really crazy idea, why can’t Dutton hold the seat he’s got, never mind scrambling to higher ground like a coward.
What about Mal Brough? Much bigger talent.
Dutton has talent unlike all those white-shoed Gold Coast crooks and matrons in the McPherson FEC
what is Ross Vasta doing now?
Today, I learned to check inside the oven before you preheat it. Sometimes children hide their pet rabbit in there.
What about me? Why doesn’t someone nominate me for McPherson? I can move.
This is a story about when I met my husband’s father for the first time before we were married.
We were at a restaurant and my bofriend kept playing footsie with me under the table.
When my boyfriend excused himself to go to the restroom, the game of footsie was still going on.
All of you are so pathetic. Take a good, long, hard look at yourselves and move on.You are a disgrace to the party. Dirty linen should never be washed in public.
Wash it and hang it out, i say.
Tories eating each other. Ain’t it great.
What a joke. Jann Stuckey is a lunatic … so is her husband. The support that she has is overestimated seeing she would have received a no vote if the LNP had not endorsed her without holding a preselection.
hahahah, Richard Stuckey is a power broker is he? Where are you getting your information guys? If he is such a high flyer why is he not running? I think it might have something to do with the fact that he is as popular as his wife. I agree with Paul. The Gold Coast would be well served by Peter Dutton, as opposed to two nobodies who are destined for the backbench. This once again shows why the Liberal Party has been in Opposition in Queensland for so long, fringe members who believe they are power brokers doing everything they can to stroke their own ego i.e. Jann Stuckey.
I hope Petey Dutton loses because then the chief bitch title is mine, all mine. Why do we need a woman when I can do whatever they can do…except have children …can a ladyboy have children drinking sperm? I hope not otherwise I would be pregnant hundreds of times! Also, does anyone know if drinking sperm is okay with the church because i am a good catholic.
Yep – what we really need is for one of the Liberal party’s best talents to to be rolled by someone with more WorkChoices baggage than anyone else, but for Honest John.
you have to be joking – he is just a dumb cop. he is e nervous nellie and so pathetic. The face of liberals – yes – real shit. I really do hope he loses. He only hung on by thin thread last time and by rights was just about out – should have happened and we would not be in this position now.
Peter Dutton?
Two words:
Hair plugs.
Mr Peter “3 steps” Dutton….
1) Try to run for Mcpherson and lose
2) Try to run for Fisher and lose
3) Try to run for Ryan and lose
Maybe he best be off to Mitchell?