Joseph Poprzeczny

As the Howard years – which began in March 1996 with John Howard’s crushing of Mark Latham’s mentor and hero, Paul Keating – have rolled on, some Liberals have become noticeably concerned.

A Recurring Australian political ritual after each Federal and State election is what journalists dub as the haemorrhaging or blood letting, even though our politics, thankfully, are too civilised for anything to actually flow.

With so many aspirational voters in Western Australia – to use Mark Latham’s borrowed term – deserting Labor on October 9 it’s little wonder Geoff Gallop’s boffins are reassessing his provisional plan to call a December 2004 State election.

Thankfully Australia’s 2004 general auction, oops, sorry, election, is over.

Western Australia’s Labor Party is persisting in slotting State MPs into contests for Federal parliamentary seats.

Federal election 2004 will be memorable for several reasons, not least, the clash between the Lying Rodent, Prime Minister John Howard’s latest nickname, and the Road Rager, as Liberal Canning MHR, Don Randall, has dubbed Labor leader, Mark Latham.

Last week’s State Scene lifted the veil on the unwitting moves by Premier Geoff Gallop and Energy Minster Eric Ripper that are helping Alinta further tighten its stranglehold over Western Australia’s domestic and industrial gas markets.

State Scene has long argued that the Court-Barnett Liberal duo’s most disastrous move was privatising the Dampier-to-Bunbury Natural Gas Pipeline (DBNGP).

Now that we’re well and truly into the Federal election campaign pundits will begin predicting the date of the looming State election.

Labor enjoyed watching Prime Minister John Howard searching for explanations after one-time Defence Department officer Mike Scrafton belatedly surfaced to claim the PM knew the so-called kids overboard claims were phony.

How could wily and experienced politicians like Mr Howard and Tasmania’s late premier, Jim Bacon, have gotten it so wrong?

Political scientists have expended tens of thousands of hours over many decades researching why people vote in particular ways.

As the past two State Scene columns have considered the forthcoming State election – predicting Labor will win in the legislative assembly, thereby forming the next government, and the conservatives will re-gain control of the legislative council – this w

Last week State Scene outlined the likely outcome of the forthcoming State election, which Premier Geoff Gallop will call for sometime between October 2004 and February 2005.

Goeff Gallop-led Labor is now scanning the horizon of spring 2004 and summer 2004-05 in search of a date that best suits Labor for a State election.

During the past few weeks the words ‘dirt’ and ‘dirt unit’ have been used rather liberally, most especially by Labor leader Mark Latham, a man who never hesitates publicly insulting anyone, from an American president to dissenting journalists.

The Gallop Government’s recent reluctant admission that it won’t continue pressing for fixed-term parliaments comes hard on the heels of its reneging on the proposed one-vote-one-value legislation.

Those who attended the University of Western Australia or even just toured its northern grounds probably know that the creation and initial development of that campus was primarily due to the efforts and funds of Irish-born Perth newspaper proprietor, Sir

One thing we can be confident about if the next, or second, Gallop-led Government is sworn in is that the 14 chauffeur-driven politicians who’ll attend Government House won’t be the same as those now in cabinet.

Geoff Gallop-led Labor goes into the coming State election fully aware that it gained power in February 2001 largely because of one Liberal minister’s mismanagement, as well as misfortune in the case of the Nationals.

If ever you walk past a group of politicians and, by chance, overhear them uttering the phrase ‘collateral damage’ you can be fairly confident they’re not discussing military affairs.

STATE Scene first raised the prospect of an upper house Liberal MP resigning from his party, and paving the way for the re-introduction and successful passage of Attorney-General Jim McGinty’s one-vote-one-value draft legislation through that chamber, on

JOHN Howard has wined and dined on his occasionally used nickname, ‘Honest John’.

THE 56-to-54-vote at last Saturday’s Liberal Party State Council, confirming the dumping of single term upper house MP Alan Cadby, clears the way for a February State election.

THIS Saturday’s Liberal Party State Council meeting promises to be the most crucial and bitter in decades.

SO far this year four Liberal MPs have seen their hopes of remaining in parliament dashed, either by a loss of party endorsement or having been placed too far down an upper house ticket to be returned.

IT’S easy to forget that, tucked-away between both Burke Governments (1983-88) and the 36-month Lawrence Government (1990-93), an even shorter-lived Labor administration existed.

WESTERN Australia’s Liberal Party literally has a ‘backroom boy’ on staff to help topple Gallop-led Labor.

LAST week a statement was released by Australia’s peak welfare lobby agency, the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS).

WA’S forthcoming State election – which would normally be held in February 2005, but may be called before Christmas – will essentially be a two-way contest involving four major voter loyalty blocs (MVLBs).

DON’T be baffled by the latest bout of factional feuding within Western Australia’s ruling Labor Party.

REGULAR State Scene readers will know that new Federal Labor leader Mark Latham was treated sympathetically rather than circumspectly in this column on becoming leader.