It’s always interesting trying to
fill the seats of former premiers – as the South Australian Liberals
are learning. The Adelaide Advertiserreports today:

Senior Liberals are worried they could lose the blue-ribbon
seat of Finniss to an independent if they pick the wrong candidate to
replace Dean Brown.

Liberal sources have warned Alexandria Mayor
Kym McHugh could stand as an independent if Victor Harbor mayor Scott
Schubert does not win the Liberal preselection on Thursday.

There are three candidates for the seat – two of them mayors – Scott Schubert and Michael Pengilly from Kangaroo Island…

Well,
that itself is a problem for the Libs. Local mayors – by definition –
have local followings. Not electorate wide. And, half of the time,
they’ve managed to p*ss off half of the population in their own little
bit of turf.

But there are other matters at play here – matters the Advertiser either doesn’t know about or can’t be bothered to report.

Finniss
is an elongated seat that stretches down the semi-rural Fleurieu
Peninsula, south of Adelaide, and offshore to Kangaroo Island. The
Island is at one end of the seat, Victor Harbor in the middle, and the
Alexandria local government area at the other – but only just.

McHugh
is a red herring. South Australia has electoral redistributions after
each election, and only about 20% of Alexandria is now in Finniss.

Either the Tiser
doesn’t know that – or they’ve just swallowed a spoon-feeding from some
factional hacks trying to stir up a scare campaign ahead of tomorrow’s
preselection.