Tuesday, August 30, 2005

POLITICS/COMMENT: It's one thing to make racist comments when you are drunk ...

John Brogden made some disgraceful remarks whilst in a state of intoxication. I do not wish to cause more distress to Mr & Mrs Carr by repeating those remarks. But one matter which Mr Brogden did raise at his press conference announcing his resignation was the role of the Federal President of the Young Liberal Movement, Alex Hawke.

So who is Alex Hawke? Who is behind him? What are his links to Mr Brogden and to the PM? Why did he choose to undermine Mr Brogden?

More importantly, what are Mr Hawke’s own views on racial and ethnic issues? Where does he stand on assimilation, multiculturalism and racial and religious tolerance? Where does he stand on indigenous Australians?

Hawke was recruited to he Young Liberals in 1995. His first branch was the Parramatta Young Liberals, then presided over by a centrist president. In those days, the “Group” or left of the Liberal Party were in control of the Young Liberal Movement in NSW and of the NSW State Executive.

Opposition to the Group was managed by a hotchpotch of Centrists and the far-right. Despite their small numbers, the Centrists were a formidable force in the NSW Party, delivering pre-selection victories to 2 successive non-Group candidates in the Parramatta federal pre-selection as well as to ex-Group MLC Stephen Mutch in the seat of Cook, Tony Abbott in Warringah and Andrew Thomson in Wentworth.

Centrists were mainly associated with the Macquarie University Liberal Club and with Young Liberal branches in the Hills, Bankstown, Parramatta and Manly. Most Centrists came from working class backgrounds.

Centrist forces were characterised by a multilingual, multicultural and multiconfessional composition. Alex Hawke’s own branch president made a point of learning to speak fluent Bahasa Indonesia and involving herself in the Australian Indonesian Association. One Centrist branch, Bankstown Young Liberals, was more known for its social functions. Guests included former Pakistan cricket captain Imran Khan and the Mayor of Sarajevo.

Yet when Alex Hawke tried to revive Bankstown Young Liberals, his efforts resulted in violent assaults and racist remarks about “Islamic stackers”. Hawke’s first grand political act in his own branch was to stab his own Centrist president in the back and take over the branch.

Hawke is at the centre of a process of Talibanisation of the Liberal Party in NSW. He currently is employed by former member of the extreme-right faction known as the “Uglies”, David Clarke. A former personal injury solicitor, Clarke had for years expressed little interest in a parliamentary career. Following the demise of personal injury law in NSW, Clarke’s view changed.

Clarke, Hawke and others went on a rampage within the non-Group forces. This involved purging the non-Group of all remnants of the old Centrist faction. It seemed the new Hawke Young Liberals saw the Centrists and not the Group (or indeed the ALP) as the real enemy.

Hawke eventually became President of the NSW Young Liberals. In his role, he has moved and passed motions calling for the dismantlement of multiculturalism, an end to Aboriginal Land Rights and rolling back anti-discrimination legislation. Hawke has also supported policies attacking homosexuals and women seeking abortions.

Of greater worry is Hawke’s using fringe ethno-religious groups to stack Young Liberal branches. The stacking usually occurs following a speech by Mr Clarke in which he praises a particular group.

On 3 May 2005, Clarke gave a speech in the Upper House praising Samir Geagea and the Lebanese Forces (LF), a group responsible for the massacre of over 2,000 Palestinians and many more Lebanese during Lebanon’s civil war. In praising the role of Geagea’s forces, Clarke noted:
Had it not been for the Lebanese Forces, a Christian presence in the country would probably no longer exist.
Since that time, Hawke has been recruiting young supporters of the LF into Young Liberal branches, causing some consternation amongst numerous non-LF party members of Lebanese background.

Both Clarke and Hawke are the masters of wedge politics, both within and outside the party. Hawke and his boss have made no secret of their wish to see moderate John Brogden removed as Opposition Leader. Yet their antics undermining parliamentarians are not limited to the state party. Hawke and Clarke have their sights set on Federal Parliamentarians such as Marise Payne, Brendan Nelson, Bruce Baird and Joe Hockey.

In recent times, Hawke has been quoted as expressing anti-Muslim views. I have been told by at least 3 journalists that Hawke has told them Muslims are not Australian enough. One wonders what Hawke’s views are on the PM’s rejection of all calls to ban the wearing of traditional Muslim headscarves in state schools.

Hawke’s role in the Brogden downfall in no way diminish the seriousness of the actions and comments made by Mr Brogden. But while it takes Mr Brogden a quantity of drinks to make such comments in a private conversation, Hawke and his supporters make similar remarks in the open.

Brogden’s continued presence as leader may have severely dampened the NSW Liberals’ electoral chances. But in the long term, the Talibanisation of the NSW Liberals at the hands of Hawke, Clarke & Co can only guarantee a long period in the state political wilderness for NSW Liberals.

Words © 2005 Irfan Yusuf

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Irfan saw your 4 corners crap. You look and talk like a pompous Jabba the Hutt.You even smell bad on television. I guess your 'wife' didn't want to hang around to listen to your mad harangue against the entire world. I will order you 6 filthy kebabs. 3 for you to cram into your mouth for a quick snack. And the other 3 for you to shove up your other shithole. Dinner and Sex Irfan style. Congratulations on being the fattest slug on the Mossad payroll

Anonymous said...

Just make sure the six kebabs that you provide for yusuf are moslem halal.

This is a way of killing chickens that involves slitting their thoats, and letting the blood run out. The delights of halal butchery.

yusuf hates kebabs from lebanese CHRISTIAN kebab shops, because "I hate eating electrocuted chickens".

yusuf hates lebanese christians and their kabab shops, all christians, and homosexuals, yet makes much of himself being black.

Anonymous said...

Check out Irfan's other blog Byron Bey for even more ravings.
"Women’s groups and progressive forces are getting behind me. Former foes are fast becoming friends"
Actually no they aren't. Surely 'friend' means more than people with a spurious interest in your travails.
"I feel on top of the world"
Only if you have gone manic and are an otherwise attention-seeking arrogant fool.
Check out your mental health when it comes to relationships and Jasminder. A new intense pointless obsession bound to end in heartbreak is an indicator of depression.
"Why did you come to Sydney and work behind a bar?" You met a fucking barmaid. Jesus Christ.
"I am surrounded by attention but feel as lonely as ever." Listen to yourself you nut. Your entire series of rants is just a 5 year old wanting attention.

How fucking depressed are you? Old clinically depressed codgers in nursing homes brighten up considerably when asked about 'the war'. During 'the war' they were part of a community striving for a common purpose doing something important. That is how you sound when you talk about once being a 'factional warrior'. See a shrink and get a decent diet you fucking nutcase. You are seriously fucked up but I am sure you can get to a place you want to be with some actual help. And for God's sake let a shrink read your crap so as to better understand you and before you publish and before you worsen your legal position. You are such a headcase I just want to keep on kicking you in the face until your head is just a red and brown bloody turd. Get some help Irfan you stupid bitch.

Anonymous said...

Irfan you fuck-up. Order a double serving of reality with your next meal of grease and lard. Look deeply at your continuing attempts to reach martyrdom by maximising your own suffering at every opportunity (while even fighting a bullshit gallant battle on behalf of the dead Patrick) and furthermore pretending there is some sort of parallel with John Brogden. Next you'll be strapping some dynamite to your morbidly obese carcass and hoping to die while claiming to somehow help the Palestinians.

John Brogden was Australia's most consumate actor and conman who's main amusement in life was that he kept on getting away with it.

Until some proper journalism reveals the truth it is easy to accept that the only people gossiping about him were the variety of jealous and petty wannabes from the left-wing. I can accept that Brogden got so caught up in the act of being emotional and distraught that in a moment of trying to cause maximum hurt to the person who loved him most he managed to go a bit-over-the-top in his search for victimhood and theatre. It appears amazing how there was a conga line of rescuers. Of course if John Brogden is a successful sociopath then it's only a short pause to finalise the book deals and stack the pre-selection race against Bronwyn Bishop. Thanks for allowing me the chance to chuck in a nice head-fuck conspiracy theory for someone to run with.

Isn't cricket a game where you are supposed to bat for one side only?. So how can any bisexual leftwinger like your previous correspondent know much about what constitutes the game of cricket. I am offended that you have taken a perfectly noble word like 'decency'and then suggested that it has a place in politics. It never has. The only thing decent thing to do in politics is to make the effort to stop politician scum from rising to the top. When they do anything to curtail their full enjoyment of power by way of accident or disaster it is a service to the nation to stand on the sidelines applauding. Which is why it is perfectly acceptable to applaud a cricket LBW. Not to praise the bowler. Just to say 'thank God that arsehole has lost his wicket' and only a few more to go before everyone can go home and do something useful.

Anonymous said...

For God's sake we never were, are not and never will be Centrists. We were, are and ever will be Conservatives. We derided the Centrists of which Alex Hawke was one, becuase they believed in nothing or had soft left leanings.

We on the other hand stood for mainstream Australian Christian values. We still do. We always will.

Enough with the revisionist history already.

Anonymous said...

Irf said"Hawke and Clarke have their sights set on Federal Parliamentarians such as Marise Payne, Brendan Nelson, Bruce Baird and Joe Hockey."

And removing these people from Parliament would be a bad thing?

Good grief man, the enemy of your enemy is not always your friend. Wake up and smell the doner.

Anonymous said...

Irf said"Hawke and Clarke have their sights set on Federal Parliamentarians such as Marise Payne, Brendan Nelson, Bruce Baird and Joe Hockey."

And removing these people from Parliament would be a bad thing?

Good grief man, the enemy of your enemy is not always your friend. Wake up and smell the doner.