Only a fool gives overwhelmingly glowing references to someone they don’t know. The fool who gave such a reference to the notorious gangster Tony Mokbel, MP Kelvin Thomson, was until yesterday, the shadow Attorney General. If the existence of this reference had not been uncovered, Thomson would have been Attorney General in a Rudd Labor Government and the most important legal figure in the country.
Mokbel is a fugitive charged with murder and cocaine smuggling. He already had 19 convictions for serious convictions when Thomson gave him the reference in support of his application for a liquor license - he urged the Liquor Licensing Commission to take into account Mokbel's ‘commitment to family and his successful establishment as a local businessman’ when it considered his application..
The Labor Party in Australia lacks judgment as the Rudd-Burke-Thomson-Mokbel events make clear. Moreover, as the stench from the sleaze in the State branches makes clear, also lacks integrity as articulated here, here, here and, from John Quiggin, here.
I searched a dozen leftwing blogs at 2-30 pm today. Not one had made a comment on these events. On the right a few did. Tim Blair suggests that this articulate young Melbourne idealist might be Thomson’s perfect replacement. Go for him Kev.
Saturday, March 10, 2007
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9 comments:
The idea that Kelvin Thompson or a staff member did not know who Mokbel was is just not credible.
The story at the local primary school was that each time he went to prison ,his wife would tell their kids that he had gone back to lebanon.
The rise and rise (to his level of incompetance) of Kelvin Thompson, is a reflection of our political system. With relatively few members of the parties,not many votes are needed to gain preselection. The trick is to get those numbers.The people of Wills would vote Labor no matter how stupid the candidate.
chrisl, I doubt he knew Mokbel. My guess is the nitwit would write references for just about anyone recommended to him by a local party member.
It is this carelessness that I find appalling. I am requested to write references every day or so for students and colleagues. I take the issue seriously as it can determine people's futures and when people are getting started they need some support.
If I don't know the requester at all personally I decline (suggesting that they contact someone who knows them better) or only write in the reference things that are clear to me from transcripts or evidence. Sometimes I will say to the person in this situation that that is all I can do - giving them the option to get someone else.
If I don't want to write a reference I say so. It can be painful but its only happened to me a handful of times.
It is wrong to write a glowing reference of approval for someone you don't know.
Fred, I add a line in para 3 where I set out three previous posts on the topic of State Government sleaze in the ALP which provides detailed information. I include, as well, as a strong post on the same topic by John Quiggin. JQ adapts the same explanation for the sleaze I do - it's due to the ALP factional system.
The problems arise in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and WA. I reject your claim that I have inappropriately generalised.
I expressly raised the issue of corruption in the Liberal Party in connection with the printing issue here. I have also several times raised the issue of corruption in the Askin Government of NSW - of course I remember it. I have no time for this type of behavior on any side of politics.
Thus I reject your claim that my political preferences have led to partiality .
I agree with your comment that the dominance of Labor in state politics means it has more opportunities to get involved in dodgy things. I have made the same point myself.
Labor has a problem. It won't disappear with attacks on the bias motives of people commenting on these problems.
The suggestion by Rudd that he will monitor Labor MPs in how they give out references - is not a sign of strength - it suggests a ludicrous stupidity and lack of mutual respect within Labor.
By the way I was a member of the ALP during my student days and was active on the left of the party. Nothing that I see in the State Labor Governments these days surprises me.
Harry, this kind of gotcha is silly. I last posted two sentences on this stuff a few days ago, with a couple of sentences on Ian Campbell's (unjustified) forced resignation. Since then, we've had his replacement found to have share dealings related to Burke, three Liberal MPs raided by the police, and now this business with Thomson. Unless you want to go fulltime on this stuff, none of these were, in my view, worthy of note. You reached the same conclusion when the Liberal party was involved, and AFAIK, no-one on the left went in for any gotcha posts.
JQ
Apologies, Harry, I see you did mention the Liberal printing case. Still, as I say, most bloggers are not interested enough in petty corruption (or in Thomson's case, errors of judgement) to post every day on this topic, which is what would be needed at the moment.
JQ
JQ, One way of dismissing this incident is to describe it as minor and my remarks as a 'gotcha post' (they weren't that, Thomspon had already been 'got').
But Kevin Rudd certainly didn't see things that way in relation to Thompson. Nor did the national press including the AFR. The issue was serious as were the various other State Government 'petty' corruptions.
Are the left blogs leaving these things alone not because they are trivial but because they upset the Rudd honeymoon and the impression that Labor is a plausible alternatiive government?
BTW, I have written that I saw no reason for Campbell to go. It was silly.
Fred I don't know if greater regulation of lobbyists is a good idea. As I posted last week (here the difficulties with lobbyists as much as anything seem to reflect incompetence in government. The lobbyists are meeting a market need. State Governments reform thyself!
I don't know about a Crime Commission. At one stage wasn't Brian Burke being suggested as a future possible PM? I don't know about a CC but could its insdependence from pollies be sustained? The thought of someone like Brian Burke being able to even influence taping of the views of political opponents frightens me.
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