Tumbrels roll in and heads roll out in NSW

It's old news (yesterday's) but I should note that the New South Wales Liberal Party yesterday suspended a former President for giving an interview to the media. Michael Osborne was president for three years between 1997 and 2000, but he's been stripped of all rights for two years. His crime was to express "concern over the power of the Right on ABC television last year".

It's reported as factional warfare, although Michael Darby who is from the right was also suspended for two years. I met Darby twenty-something years ago and wasn't surprised to read that he apparently engaged some members of the executive "in a shouting match". I guess if you had to sacrifice one of your own to make it look like you were impartial, then he'd be a good one to hit with friendly fire.

All of which raises the issue as to whether the Liberal right decided on some co-ordinated action against dissidents at their annual gathering at the Liberal Party convention this year.

The Prime Minister is reported to be livid about the New South Wales shennanigans. This is interesting, because in Queensland the charge against me was apparently led by Ian MacFarlane, who is on the state executive and state council as the PM's representative. Hard to see Howard having one standard for New South Wales and another for the rest of the country.