all politics is local

[anthonybaxter]

A few pieces about the state election as it applies to my electorate (Prahran).

First up, The Age has what I can only describe as a completely useless piece on the makeup of the Prahran electorate. There's no actual useful content in here, just a pile of stereotypes and trite observations. No author's name is attached to the piece - probably out of shame.

Secondly, this piece from the Oz from a few months ago about clem newton-brown.

A VICTORIAN Liberal candidate has been caught distancing himself from his party in an apparent bid to boost his chances in the November election.
Clem Newton-Brown, a friend of state Liberal leader Ted Baillieu, hopes to secure the trendy inner-city seat of Prahran using only "discreet Liberal branding".
In a letter to potential campaign donors, seen by The Australian, Mr Newton-Brown promises to run a "campaign quite unlike the typical Liberal campaign" that "pushes the boundaries of usual campaign techniques".
"For example, I have been putting out flyers on very local issues with only discrete Liberal branding," he said.

...

Mr Newton-Brown declined to explain why he had played down his Liberal affiliations yesterday, but in his letter he talks about trying to secure the youth and green votes.
"The blog site is designed to attract the younger, swinging voter who is not interested in party politics but may vote for a candidate who has engaged them in an unusual way," he writes.
The electorate - which includes Prahran, South Yarra, and parts of St Kilda and Toorak - was previously a Liberal seat, but fell to Labor in 2002 and is now held by about 4.5 per cent.
Liberal state director Julian Sheezel declined to comment on Mr Newton-Brown's campaign approach, but other Liberals condemned the former Melbourne City councillor's tactics.
"People who try to run with no party association always fail unless they are a really big name," one senior Liberal said. "And he isn't a big name. No one would know who Clem Newton-Brown is."

Aside from the obvious typo - guys, it's not Clem Newton-Brown, it's clem newton-brown - a good piece. We've already looked at the youtube video. How about that blog? I'll come back to that, later today. Stay tuned.

Comments

[lokicarbis.livejournal.com]

Two obivous typos: pretty sure he meant 'discreet' liberal branding, not 'discrete'.

[aeduna.livejournal.com]

No, he included whole 'L's, not just bits of them.

[anthonybaxter.livejournal.com]

Ha. I missed that one. A great example of Liberal education policies. :-)

[cheshire-bitten.livejournal.com]

"really covers the socio-economic spectrum".


From the rich to the very rich?

[anthonybaxter.livejournal.com]

Hardly. There's housing commission, there's massive slabs of run-down rental property, there's all the old eastern europeans living down around carlisle st in run down old houses...