Friday, 9 November 2007

Potted History: the Devil we Know - Part 2

We have invited locals to contribute to CairnsBlog, and extend that invitation to anyone, so long as you meet some guidelines. In a regular series, Bryan Law writes about the recent history of local politics.


Part 2

Where are we now?

There’s been another amalgamation, this time with Douglas Shire, and all the Divisional boundaries have changed. There are 10 Divisions now, each substantially larger and more difficult to service than before.

Since 2004 Val Schier has declared her intention to run a “community alliance” team in the 2008 election, and that team has the name of Cairns 1st. Before Robert Pyne withdrew, Cairns 1st had announced six Divisional candidates, two of whom, Paul Matthews and Diane Forsyth, had been part of the ’04 team. Richie Bates, Mark Buttrose, and Rob Pyne had pretty good profile as community activists and Kirsten Lesina (younger and less well-known) seems a serious candidate for Division 4.

Rumour has it that Cairns 1st was not planning to run candidates against strong independents in Divisions 1 and 2, and would announce its final 2 candidates in a week or two. In other words it would stand candidates in 8 of 10 Divisions, along with Val for Mayor. If Fran Lindsay decides not to contest Division 2 that may change.

All in all, Val has worked consistently over four years to develop a credible team, with appropriate policy and a program for campaigning that makes her a believable and desirable alternative to the present regime.

Rumour has it there were some tensions within the existing team about the degree of policy and media cohesion, and team discipline, desirable in a “community alliance” of independent-minded candidates. Rob Pyne has been uneasy for some time and had spoken of resigning from the team on two other occasions. His detractors have labelled him as impetuous, and a loose cannon.

On Sunday 28 October, after minimal consultation with team members, Jason O’Brien attended a team meeting of Cairns 1st to offer advice and assistance with practical campaigning. Some team members have concerns about Jason’s combative style, while most acknowledge the value his experience can bring. Jason O’Brien is neither consultative nor permissive when it comes to political organising.

At that Sunday meeting the long-standing issue of team coherence and discipline came to a head. Robert Pyne was put on the spot about the degree of his independence with Val, Jason and others requiring a stronger commitment to cohesion and discipline than Rob was comfortable with or willing to give.

Rob withdrew from the team and gave Val and Jason a serve which has done some damage to the Cairns 1st team, and upon which Byrne’s Unity team and supporters are trying to capitalise. Rob has since regretted, at least partially, his intemperate response. Both Cairns 1st and Rob Pyne now face additional complications in what was already a hard task, and work will need to be done to repair and rebuild some bridges. In Part 2 of this article I’ll be discussing the practical requirements needed to ensure the defeat of Kevin Byrne and Unity in March 2008.

There is a secondary issue bubbling along about Cairns 1st relations with Mike Moore and the Cairns Blog. This dispute hinges around a desire by Cairns 1st to steer clear of relationships with citizens/groups which might have any incendiary effect on mainstream public opinions, or draw fire from the Unity team that might be difficult to extinguish.

The two elements come together with some Liberal Party trolls on the CairnsBlog egging on the conflict between Robert Pyne, Mike Moore and Cairns 1st, and trying to weaken Val’s team with a steady stream of disinformation and grotesqueries.

I believe it’s time to take a close look at a set of principles which might be employed by interested community activists to form a stronger “community alliance” which is capable of defeating Kevin Byrne and improving both the function and democratic nature of our Cairns City Council.

The only way of doing that is to get behind Val Schier as Mayoral candidate, whether she wants us to or not. At the same time we can specify the direction(s) in which various interests among us want Val and her team to move. We can also identify performance indicators to assess Val’s performance as Mayor and hold her accountable in the lead up to 2012.

Finally it’s worth remembering that Kevin Byrne is vulnerable to concerted action which emphasises his weaknesses. In my opinion, Kevin is a bully who can’t help but alienate even close colleagues when issues and interests diverge. Kevin joined the Liberal party and made a strong effort to win pre-selection for the Liberals in Leichhardt in this election, but was defeated by a coalition of other Liberals who had been deeply offended over the years by his personal style.

Of course he also has strengths which must be countered. Chief among them is his media skills and relationships with media agencies in Cairns.

In part 2 of this article I’ll be discussing a range of factors and tactics that all of us can get behind as part of supporting Val Schier, Cairns 1st, and Robert Pyne in March 2008.

Disclosure. I am an independent political activist in Cairns. I’ve never been a member of any political Party. I once applied to join the Greens but was rejected due to either my political “extremism”, or because I “was going to take over” (depending on which Far North Green you talk to). I am not aligned in any way with Cairns 1st, Robert Pyne, or any Cairns City Counsellor. The above commentary is purely and simply my understanding of what’s happening in the lead up to March ’08, and I take full responsibility for its content.

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Disclosure.
I am an independent political activist in Cairns. I’ve never been a member of any political Party. I once applied to join the Greens but was rejected due to either my political “extremism”, or because I “was going to take over” (depending on which Far North Green you talk to). I am not aligned in any way with Cairns 1st, Robert Pyne, or any Cairns City Councillor.

The above commentary is purely and simply my understanding of what’s happening in the lead up to March ’08, and I take full responsibility for its content.

The technique of supplying advance notice to those criticised is an effective one for ensuring factual accuracy and reasonable publication. It’s not fool-proof, but I think this article is now well within the boundaries of fair comment and reasonableness in the discussion of matters of government and politics.NB: Bryan Law submitted his article to the Mayor prior to publication, and this is the response by Dennis Quick, the Mayor's personal assistant:-

  • "Your email has been perused by the Mayor.May I make a clear and unequivocal statement that Mayor Byrne is NOT a bully and any such reference may well be deemed offensive.

    Insofar as your writing in general terms, we live in a free society and you may publish any material you deem suitable.

    However, you need to be quite clear that Mayor Byrne and others retain the right to respond in any appropriate manner if they feel defamed of offended,
    Regards,
    Dennis Quick”

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Of course Dennis Quick is going to say the Mayor is not a bully - he works for him. My own first hand experience with the 'Byrne Bullying Brigade' proves otherwise. Arrogance, bullying and the silencing of dissent are the standard operating principles at Council's higher level - and Byrne supports this approach by his own actions.
Byrne has no chance at the next election unless he starts to realise that equity and grass roots community values are more important to the voting public than pandering to big business and his preoccupation with economic 'irrationalism'.
As far as the media is concerned, and Byrne's 'buddy' relationship with many identities, that will soon come to a halt closer to the election when they will be forced to give Val an equal amount of time in the spotlight. Even today I was strolling up the Esplanade and saw Kevin and 'Macca' from 846 having lunch together. Byrne will soon realise that he is only preaching to the converted with Macca - his listeners are only the conservative diehards (and there's not many of them). Interestingly, all Maccas colleagues were at the same place and sat at another table!! At least Kevvy and Macca can pretend their towers are made from ivory - but we can see through the tinsel.

Anonymous said...

Well done Bryan, and don't worry, if the Mayor tries to sue you too there are plenty of people who can testify their own experience of being bullied (the defence of truth).
Belcher, quick byrne! The regime is on fire!!

Anonymous said...

l did have a giggle to myself when l read R Quicks letter to the editor today

Anonymous said...

Yes, even I heard of some rumblings, although I really cannot give you any more details, in the Cairns Liberal Party. There have been personality problems, but I suspect there are also deep ideological divisions.