Morris Iemma had told his Right wing faction that it (the cabinet reshuffle) was his way, or no way. "No way!' said the faction, and Morris resigned.
Enter newly-elected Premier of NSW, Nathan Rees. He gets his way, and both Reba Meagher and Frank Sartor are left out of cabinet! "Cranky Frankie" issued a press statement saying that dumping him was a mistake - a political tantrum.
The irony of Reba Meagher's omission is that she had reportedly called Morris Iemma at 6am Friday to tell him she was not resigning, and still wanted her job in cabinet. She then went to right-wing power-broker Eddie Obeid, and this helped precipitate the events that led to Iemma's resignation, Nathan Rees's election as Premier, and Meagher's dumping from cabinet.
Both Morris Iemma, at his press conference on Friday, and Reba Meagher, in her press release last night, said that they had always put "the interests of the party" first. In saying that, they are reminding "the party" that they are available for other appointments; now, or in the future!
And that, dear reader, is the single biggest issue with our politicians: - "the party" and their political careers, are more important than the interests of the people.
John
Postscript - The new ministry, announced on Mon 8/9/08, is:
Premier, & Arts: Nathan Rees
Deputy Premier, Commerce, Climate Change & Environment: Carmel Tebbutt
Attorney-General: John Hatzistergos
Transport: David Campbell
Education & Training, Women: Verity Firth
Planning & Redfern: Kristina Keneally
Health: John Della Bosca
Roads: Michael Daley
Roads & Waterways, Regulatory Reform, Finance & Infrastructure: Joe Tripodi
Police: Mat Brown
Housing: David Borger
Water, Rural Affairs and Regional Development: Philip Costa
Industrial relations, Emergency Services, Land: Tony Kelly
Tourism, the Hunter: Jodie McKay
Aboriginal Affairs, Ageing and Disability Services: Paul Lynch
Small Business, Science and Medical Research, Assistant Health Minister (Cancer): Tony Stewart
Community Services: Linda Burney
Primary Industries, Energy and Mineral Resources, State Development: Ian Macdonald
Gaming and Racing, and Sport and Recreation: Kevin Greene
Juvenile Justice, Youth, and Volunteering: Graham West
Local Government, Assistant Health Minister (Mental Health): Barbara Perry
Fair Trading, Citizenship, Assistant Arts Minister: Virginia Judge
(this post is mirrored at: http://blogs.myperspective.org.au/truepolitik )
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- The Analyst
- John has been commenting on political and current affairs in Australia since 2006. Before that he discussed some of these issues with family & friends. Now, he comments on this blog. He has a strong interest in Australian politics (National & State)... John is concerned about the ethics of Governments and politicians, and is driven by a strong sense of social justice. His politics are best defined as centrist, but vary between centre-right and centre-left. He has no affiliation, direct or indirect, with any political party. Quotes I Like: 1) "You're only young once, but you can be immature forever." 2) "you have 2 ears and 1 mouth: use them in that proportion"
