More emails are coming in over the appointment of Graham Jaeschke as director of the NSW Liberal Party.

This
one’s only hearsay – but also intriguing. “Howard personally telephoned
[WA Director Paul] Everingham asking him to take the job… He
[Everingham] thinks that Brogden is a f*ck up waiting to happen.”
There’s another nicely complementary rumour that says that Everingham
thinks of his new leader in the West, Matt Birney, in similar terms –
and that full-scale warfare will erupt there within six months.

Then
there’s the gos on the NSW Liberal Party itself. The right is having a
field day, with a clean sweep at the party’s women’s council elections
netting it another seat on the state executive. With state council
elections for a new executive and state president due by the end of
May, the conservatives could be running the show. That could spell
disaster for Brogden and an interesting state pre-selection period.

The
right has scored amazing victories in Brogden’s old stamping grounds,
the Young Liberals. At their AGM a few weeks ago they won most ballots
124-23 – “a 101 vote margin in what was only a few years ago the
bedrock of The Group”, the local limp left, says one correspondent.

Another
writes: “In any division where one faction has control they
historically do poorly as self interest reigns supreme”. Indeed. Which
makes this message interesting: “It is rumoured that key staff in the
division will go which could see the division demise into factional
warfare once again as the factions gear up for internal elections and
preselections. More than one state MP is about to be rolled because of
the Wentworth stack and the numbers transferring into the branches…”

But
then there’s this warning: “The right are fragmenting ahead of what
appears to be a loss in the party’s state executive elections (to be
completed by end of May). [Faction heavy] Nick Campbell has taken his
eye off the ball and his promised reward of Bennelong at the next
federal election may not be his if he doesn’t get it together.”

Interesting
times? Well, we’ll leave you with this one from the inbox: “This Easter
will see a number of senior liberals meeting to discuss what is
happening with the NSW Party. J-Bro seems to be suffering under a
weight of half way blues and everyone is hoping he will break out of it
soon. A small group of MPs, staff and party officials will be meeting
in the Blue Mountains this weekend to discuss the matter.”

Interesting times indeed.

CRIKEY:
Meanwhile, The Right seems to be getting the upper hand over The Group
in NSW. Yesterday’s NSW Division Women’s Council AGM saw moderate Mary
O’Dea easily defeated by Helen Weyland from the right who is the new
Women’s President and will take the spot on state executive.