McGinty's Legacy - Electoral Reform

McGinty's Scorecard: Power (Dist.) Politics (Fail)

Power before principle, is the hallmark of much of the mess created in the name of reform by failed former Attorney General Jim McGinty.

The Desert Rat thought it would be instructive to examine McGinty's so-called electoral reform legislation. McGinty thought that by introducing one-vote one-value, he would entrench the Australian Labor Party in power in WA for the next decade. By doing a grubby deal with the Greens to get their support in the Legislative Council for his legislation, McGinty actually increased the malapportionment in the Upper House - something he hypocritically said was immoral and wanted to rid the system of!

A principled approach would have been to have equal vote weighting in the Legislative Council. The Desert Rat has no doubt that considerations of power, not justice were the driving force behind McGinty thinking and actions on electoral reform.

The National Party who were supposed to be obliterated by McGinty's manoeuvre are now quietly laughing. McGinty has handed the National Party many Upper House seats and undreamed of power in the Legislative Council.

The Nationals can't believe how stupid McGinty has been and are very grateful.

This of couse will transfer hundred of millions of dollars to country electorates at the expense of McGinty's own electorate fo Fremantle and other metro seats. Again something McGinty miscalculated. Many former ALP country voters changed their vote because McGinty showed no interest in them - he abandoned them!

McGinty's stupid comments denigrating the vital Royal Flying Doctor Service incensed most thinking and compassionate people and underlined McGinty's contempt for country people.

McGinty's electoral shenanigans came back to bite him on his polished bum. He alienated those who saw through his cheap unprincipled approach and undermined any moral authority the ALP had on electoral reform.

Goebbel's would be proud of the CCC propaganda campaign

CCC Political campaign in media more effective than their investigations.

There is no doubt that the publicity machine down at the Crime and Corruption Commission has through the media, damaged the reputation of Brian Burke and Julian Grill.

One glaring example has been drawn to the Desert Rat's attention, about comments recently made on ABC Radio by morning announcer Simon Beaumont in an interview with Dr Peter van Onselen.

Beaumont commented in the introduction:

"Mr Burke, as you know listeners, is the former Premier, Mr Grill is a former minister of the Crown. They are people in whom we enlisted our trust and respect.

I have said many times on this program their actions in influencing elected members and public officials were immoral. They were - their actions were an abuse of power. The courts will now decide if these acts were criminal."

Later Beaumont said in conclusion:

"So we can't say a lot about this now because it is before the courts, so listeners, hold your tongue there if you wouldn't mind. But one thing I would agree with Peter van Onselen on is that the stain of Burke and Grill will forever remain etched on our - on the public office of the state parliament and on lobbyists and advocates. We know Mr Burke cannot make a living these days. He cannot work as an advocate or a lobbyist. That's what I've heard at least. I hope that is the case."

The Desert Rat is not aware of any evidence of Julian Grill acting "immorally" in "influencing elected members and public officials". Nor is the Desert Rat aware of any of his lobbying dealings that were an "abuse of power" in their lawful lobbying business.

The comments by Beaumont are clearly defamatory in the Desert Rat's view and reflect the success of the CCC's campaign of media manipulation, in the timing of publicity, the selective "cherry picking' of content to damage the public reputations of both Burke and Grill.

Although Beaumont gives the impression by enlistment that he agrees with Peter van Onselen; Onselen made no such remarks in the interview about the "stain of Burke and Grill will forever remain etched...' - on public officers.

McGinty to vacate Fremantle seat for son-in-law?

McGinty has wasted ALP majority and goodwill in Fremantle

The Desert Rat predicts that time-serving, lame-duck failed Labor leader Jim McGinty will vacate the seat of Fremantle before he completes his current term. McGinty vote in Fremantle collapsed to 38% in the recent state election.

An added factor of the urgency to vacate is the failure of son-in-law Tim Kucera and his opportunistic cabal to takeover the CFMEU. Young Tim needs another sinecure. Kucera's mates were were soundly beaten in the recent ballot by Kevin Reynolds and his team.

The Desert Rat predicts that once the succession of Tim Kucera is locked in, McGinty will resign and Tim Kucera will be the ALP candidate for the Fremantle by-election. The only spanner in the works is that McGinty may think that Fremantle is no longer a safe enough seat for he son-in-law. That view is more a reflection of McGinty's neglect of the Fremantle electorate since elected. Any half-competent member should be able to establish a comfortable ALP majority in Fremantle.

Contrast McGinty's pathetic electoral performance in Fremantle with that of Julian Grill who increased the ALP vote in the strong conservative area of Esperance from 12% to about 50% over two elections whilst a Minister. Since Grill's retirement, the Labor vote in Esperance has dropped back to about 11%.

The same Left faction shambles happened in Kalgoorlie where the left faction member Megan Anwyl managed to lose the seat after wasting the large majority built up by hard-working local member Ian Taylor. Now the Labor vote in Kalgoorlie; once the "jewel in the crown" of Labor is below 20%. Now wonder the left only want safe seats in Parliament.

Fremantle deserves better than "His Irrelevance" McGinty and the sooner he resigns or is shown the door by the ALP, the better.

Life is cheap under McGinty's "truth in sentencing" laws

Three year and 4 months for vicious manslaughter under McGinty's "Truth in Sentencing" laws.

Jim McGinty's incompetence and failure as Attorney General in the pathetic Carpenter Labor Government was on display for all to see in the sentencing of 22 year old violent Geraldton thug Mathew McDonald for the manslaughter of Geraldton father of five Bill Rowe, who he bludgeoned with a cricket bat on Christmas Day last year.

Bill Rowe who was bashed over the head by a cricket bat on a Geraldton beach, died on Boxing Day.

This thug already was the beneficiary of a suspended 9 month sentence in 2006 for another bashing in Carnarvon. McDonald was not even a juvenile at the time of both offences. Instead of the maximum penalty of 20 years gaol for manslaughter, and this must rank as one of the worst cases in the Desert Rat's view, McGinty's "Truth in Sentencing" laws reduced his sentence to 13 years and 4 months.

McDonald was drunk at the time and admitted he had smoked a huge amount of cannabis that morning - which he would have been allowed to grow at home under McGinty's lax drug "reforms".

With all the other sentencing credits available to him, McDonald received a sentence of 5 years and could be free on parole in 3 years and nine months.

This is the outcome of the incompetent McGinty's "Truth in Sentencing" laws which were a major contributor to Labor's loss of government.

Is McGinty apologist Ken Travers the only person who doubts McGinty's abysmal failure as a Minister?

Lobbying MP's: CCC Report in LaLa Land says Privileges Committee

Silly report & recommendations from CCC fools given heave-ho by powerful All-Party Privileges Committee

The Privileges Committee has rejected the silly Corruption and Corruption Commission report recommendations on MP's dealing with lobbyists, describing it as "impractical and naive".

The Desert Rat is pleased to see Parliament reasserting itself since the demise of their guru Jim McGinty the former failed Attorney General who seemed to call all the shots.

Doddering Corruption Commissioner Major General Len Roberts-Smith refused to comment on the outright rejection of the report. It seems he was too embarrassed to defend his own report. MP John Quigley weigh in as well "The CCC as totally unrealistic." he said.

Needless to say MP's John McGrath, John Quigley and Ben Wyatt were all cleared of misconduct in their contact with Julian Grill and Brian Burke, after being smeared and damaged by the CCC. This inquiry and report was another grubby attempt by the desperate CCC to discredit Grill and Burke.

This is the same silly criticism the CCC made of MP John Bowler which the CCC claimed was misconduct but refused to lay charges against Bowler. The Desert Rat recently derided this stupidity dished up by Silverstone and his CCC cabal - who dismally fail to focus on real crime and corruption.

Ken Travers MLC again failed to show any independence of thought when interviewed by The West Australian, he avoided addressing the CCC's fantasyland recommendations in his comments saying he could not deal with this issue until he saw the legislation. Our Ken is always faithful to his Left faction leader McGinty.

Is Shelley Archer's charge designed to justify illegal phone taps?

Hon Shelley Archer MLC charged with a 7 year gaol - corruption offence.
Justifying dodgy CCC phone tap warrants?

Such is the Desert Rat;s distrust of the seedy operating activities of the Crime and Corruption Commission rodents, he suspects the CCC's corruption charge against Shelley Archer as revealed in yesterday's The West Australian, which clearly states it carries a seven year sentence, was just a smokescreen, to justify and cover the CCC's illegal phone tapping and bugging warrants.

It is the Desert Rats understanding, that Julian Grill still has his phone and emails tapped and his house (including the main bedroom) bugged by the CCC voyeurs. Your trusty Desert Rat is not aware of any activity or offence by Julian Grill that would warrant a 7 year gaol term required to get such a phone tap. All the charges relating to the multi-million Smith's Beach Inquiry have spectacularly failed and the Desert Rat thinks that the new phoney? charges will continue to fail, calling into question on what grounds the phone taps and bugging were granted with the knowledge of former failed Attorney General Jim McGinty.

Back to Shelley Archer: is this charge a ruse by the CCC to cover their polished arses in their suspect warrant to tap Julian Grill phone and bug his house and or part of an attempt to buy some time before some phoney "fishing expedition" warrants are open to public scrutiny?

ABCC Rally Call reveals ALP's phoney approach to civil liberties

Hypocrisy of Australian Labor Party on Display

The Desert Rat notes the bare-faced hypocrisy of the ALP's call to members to a community rally outside State Parliament yesterday to protest against the draconian powers of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) - John Howard's building industry watchdog.

The special powers of the ABCC are mild compared to those available to under WA's Crime and Corruption Commission Act to pursue Brian Burke and Julian Grill.

It is ironic that the ALP can be so offended by the powers of the ABCC but is prepared to support and sponsor even worse legislation in the form of the CCC Act in Western Australia.

Once our State ALP acted under fairly consistently policy, then it drifted into undisciplined pragmatism; now its just brazen expediency on regular display.