Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, who doubles as the Independent MP for Sydney, has executed an awesome backflip … with pike.
After years of railing against the iniquities of political parties she has formed one of her own and registered it with the NSW Electoral Commission.
Called the Clover Moore Independent Team, its abbreviated name on the official ballot paper will be the Clover Moore Independents.
Application for its registration to take part in the council elections in September was made on June 28, 2007, and approval was granted on April 17, 2008.
Party secretary is Larry Galbraith, the lord mayor’s longest serving political operative. He is also the party’s registered officer.
Moore is adamant that she has turned herself into a political party for simple pragmatic reasons: so her team can be placed “above the line” on the ballot papers and therefore maximize their vote and have a better chance to maintain control of the town hall at the next election and defeat Labor.
“This registration will create an even playing field for the Independent Team,” she said in an explanatory letter.
“It will not establish a new party structure. It will not involve caucusing, binding votes, vested interests or special access. I will continue to work for Sydney communities as an Independent, in the manner I have established during my time as elected representative.”
All well and good, except that her position is difficult to stack up philosophically. She now heads a political party at Sydney Town Hall in George Street but remains a staunch Independent at State Parliament in Macquarie Street.
Under the electoral rules, Moore obtained registration by supplying the names, addresses and signatures of 100 party members as well as a copy of the party constitution.
As a document, the constitution is a joke and it’s a wonder that it passed muster at the Electoral Commission. In essence, it is a motherhood statement about transparent, accountability and upright governance plus a sweeping commitment to “the environmental, social, economic and cultural sustainability for the city of Sydney both as both a city of villages and Australia’s leading global city” — whatever that may mean.
Anyone subscribing to these misty ideals — and provided that they don’t belong to any other registered party — can become a member.
The party has no rules. There is no annual conference, no election of office bearers, no committees, no procedure to select candidates for election, no reference to party financial controls and no constitutional process to adopt new policy or modify existing policy.
The Lord Mayor has unveiled her party just as she is being duchessed by the Iemma Government on an eye-opening scale:
- She’s just back in town after Premier Morris Iemma invited her to join his taxpayer-funded 10-day trade mission to China. This represents explicit ALP recognition of her “two hats” as Lord Mayor and an MP, something that Labor has savaged in the past;
- On April 29, amid blaring media hype, Iemma and Moore unveiled an affordable housing project for inner-city Glebe. But, on closer inspection by Green councillor Chris Harris, it turned out to be little more than a warm and fuzzy memorandum of understanding (MOU);
- Two weeks ago the government was again courting Moore with an unbelievable (literally) announcement that after years of ridiculing her commitment to light rail as a people-moving concept, it was embracing the idea;
- At the ALP conference on May 3-4, Iemma’s ruling right-wing faction shafted Dr Meredith Burgmann, the former upper house president, as the ALP candidate for Sydney Lord Mayor thus giving Moore an armchair ride back into the town hall job in September. It signified that after four years of guerrilla warfare against Moore, the premier has decided to work in harness with her — and perhaps collect another vote in support of his plan to privatise the electricity industry next month.
After 20 years in parliament Moore’s reputation as a paragon of independent virtue is under its closest ever scrutiny.
It was pretty clear Iemma’s people got Clover’s people to talk to their people …. a few months back pictured together about p2 of the SMH supporting Earth Hour project. I do declare I helped electioneer for Clover though not a party member. Mainly because like so many we could see the ALP Inc (read spivs) moving in on the City Council by way of a gerrymander (by mechanism of forced merger with South Sydney and thus more ALP aligned demographics). Given all that happened under Carr 1995-2004 it was a bridge too far and brought diverse elements together. And Clover has credentials from as far back as the private members South East Forest Protection Bill (but not Act) in 1992, which was a precursor to Carr’s postures and national parks later on. Also I don’t quite agree re Burgmann description as “shafted” though she surely was rejected. Fact is she was going to lose for the same reason the ALP lost in 2004. She may have a Phd on development/green bans but she voted for the Part 3A fast track laws Sartor is running riot with now as a loyal ALP Pres of the Legislative Council. And she is a bit blinkered too re her piece on New Matilda about “Piccolo diplomacy” with North Korea (with 2 million dead in govt caused famine late 90ies, but not mentioned even indirectly). A capital C career Lefty is how I see her. I suppose the way Clover is stereotyped as capital i career Independent. Iemma wisely can see the backlash against the ALP-spiv factor could only be greater not less since 2004. CUB site, memories of the Toaster, Cross City Tunnel, rail commuters. Take your pick really. As for green ban days, Jack Mundey has joined The Greens. No joy for Meredith there either.
Here comes Pauline Hanson Mark II – independent and common. It just doesn’t measure up. I’m it. I’m impartial, I wear all hats and none. I’m having to join a mob to be a self-serving politician. Only Clover, Pauline oh…and John Howard, could come up with such lunatic logic.
…err, just to add, as Alex surely knows, Clover’s vote on energy is in the lower house where as I best I can recall Iemma has the numbers, not so the upper house. But the maths seem pretty chaotic so who really does know. By the by I bumped into one John Robertson today going to the Justice Action office to take a picture of a mural about tragic death of Roni Levy on their wall. Robertson reckons the rally against energy selloff scheduled for the Hunter today was called off ‘but not for the reason they said on the news’ which I think he meant the ABC radio news – which ABC report suggested it was because of sensitive negotations and to avoid any unwise emotional outbursts. He didn’t look very stressed, fitter than a man his age and job has a right to really.
I’ve got the slogan. CLovers Independant Team. Vote for a woman with her finger on the button.