WITH FRIENDS LIKE HER…..

Question: What could be worse for the embattled Federal Opposition leader, Simon Crean, than having the old Labor warhorse, Barry Jones, elected again as president of the federal Labor Party.

Can you imagine, with a new Federal election looming, putting back in the presidency the man who invented the “Knowledge Nation” which – with its bewildering graph – became derided as “ the noodle nation”.

So what could be worse? Having a new president who despises you and your policies – or lack of them.

Hello, Carmen Lawrence.

The former Beazley and Crean frontbencher got the sulks and went to the backbench over a number of issues when the Crean Team moved too far to the Right. Especially over boat people.

Remember, this is the former Premier of Western Australia who was being groomed and touted by Paul Keating as a possible first female Prime Minister.

She stepped in “deep doo doo” as George Bush Senior would say, over those messy perjury allegations in the Penny Easton suicide scandal. Lawrence never recovered and is, I believe, seriously, permanently stained.

But, she has now been elected president of the ALP in its first party-wide ballot for the presidency. In precious Labor mode, she will only be president for a year and then will be replaced by the man she beat by 1000 votes, Barry Jones. And, the year after that in this oh-so-democratic ballot, Warren Mundine, will take over the mantle.

This has to be bad news for Crean. A carping Carmen would be bad enough in an election year but now she will be speaking with the clout of the President’s title.

Carmen Lawrence has accused her federal colleagues, especially the front bench, of being too timid on national policies. She has accused them of being more interested in public relations than policy.

It will be interesting to watch her thorny relationship with Simon Crean in the run-up to the next federal election.

With friends like her…….

Thursday, November 13, 2003

©Copyright Derryn Hinch 2002