How prevalent are standover tactics from the muscular Christians who are trying to take over the NSW Liberal Party? After yesterday’s Crikey piece we hear that several statutory declarations have been submitted to the party’s state executive on the matter. They have come from Young Liberals and concern the behaviour of a very close ally of the Young Liberal president, Alex Hawke.

Little Libs can be excitable, but their allegations are serious. They tell of a consistent pattern of conduct that’s unacceptable for a mainstream political organisation, unless, of course, holy right leader David Clarke and his acolytes are secretly modelling themselves on the old Painters & Dockers Union. So what’s happening?