NSW Liberal Party state executive met last night to consider disciplinary action against a number of party members who have criticised the right-wing state executive in the media. Included among the accused are former Liberal Party state president and moderate Michael Osborne. Osborne is a strong friend of the Prime Minister John Howard. He appeared in an ABC Four Corners program. Also in the line of fire is former Upper House MLC and shadow minister for Disabilities John Ryan, who was defeated by forces of David Clarke for preselection in November last year. He gave two right-wing MLCs, David Clarke and Charlie Lynn, a real serve on the Carlton breakfast program a couple of days after the election. Also in trouble is right-winger Michael Darby, who also appeared in the Four Corners program (are you on another planet?) and who is also accused of helping a Christian Democrat candidate for Manly against endorsed Liberal Michael Baird. Prime Minister is said to be livid with right-wingers on the state executive because they are giving bad press at a time when he needs it least. Possible sanctions include expulsion and lengthy suspensions of voting rights.

Who and what is behind the late Friday night court injunction which stopped last Saturday’s meeting of preselectors to elect a candidate to contest the safe Liberal federal seat of Cook in Sydney’s southern suburbs? Candidate David Coleman, a PBL executive with backing from the left, obtained the Supreme Court injunction which created great inconvenience to several hundred people some of whom had travelled from Armidale, Orange and Wagga Wagga. Coleman’s court action seeks to overturn the unanimous decision of the NSW Liberal Party’s supreme disputes resolution body chaired by prominent QC Maurice Neil, to declare invalid the meetings of Miranda Kingsway and Caringbah branches where preselectors were chosen to vote on behalf of the branch at last Saturday’s meeting. John Ajaka, the newly elected Liberal member of the NSW upper house is the president of Miranda Kingsway branch and with the retirement of Bruce Baird, Ajaka is now the self-proclaimed leader of the left in the St George and Sutherland Shire precinct of the party. At the Miranda Kingsway branch meeting which was subsequently ruled invalid by the party’s supreme disputes resolution body, Ajaka presented without prior notice applications from 24 new members to join the branch. The branch acceptance of those 24 new members prior to the June 30 deadline for extra voting members in 2007/2008 has been made void by the decision of the party’s supreme disputes resolutions body that the meeting of his branch to do so was invalid. Coleman’s Supreme Court injunction was hopefully for him to secure a maximum of 12 votes from both Miranda Kingsway and Caringbah branches in a preselection contest he was not anointed by the left to win and was never expected to win.

The PM is heading to Hervey Bay next week for a “morning tea” at Fraser Shores retirement village. Around 500 people from around Australia’s retirement capital have been invited. What could he be announcing?

The Department of Defence is screwing over returned diggers from o/s deployments and those at home, too. In the past year, a number of troops have gone overseas and come back to find their wives have left them. Defence then very nicely says to them: “Terribly sorry old chap that your trouble and strife has walked out on you (and more than likely fleeced your account) but you have 28 days to get out of your house, and you have to pay to move out too! By the way we paid for her to move though, cause we are just so generous.” Pretty average that these brave boys and girls can go and try to get killed for their country but they can’t be looked after at home. Defence’s attitude is that they made the choice to end their relationship so they aren’t entitled to a removal out of the service residence.