There’ll have to be some hasty editing over the weekend as the Nationals rejig the advertising campaign for their new party — the campaign they didn’t bother telling the Liberals about.
Crikey has learnt that so arrogant have the Nationals been in assuming the merger with the Liberals was a done deal, they went ahead and commissioned, produced and booked “Liberal National Party” advertising for next week, featuring the theme of “a new Queensland” and focussing on Lawrence Springborg under the “LNP” brand. The intention was to hit the ground running with the new party branding as soon as it was formed.
Except they conveniently forgot to tell the Liberals.
According to Liberal sources, the Nationals refused to even show the advertising, let alone the research underpinning it, to their merger partners. When Mal Brough first became aware of the rebranding campaign being prepared by the Nationals earlier this month, he demanded to see the campaign materials and market research done for it, with the aim of getting Liberal advisers to examine it. The Nationals — deeply antagonistic toward Brough — refused to share the material.
Last Friday, the Nationals finally got around to providing some details, with State Secretary Mary Carroll emailing the advertising schedule out:
From: Mary Carroll
Sent: Friday, 18 July 2008 4:18 PM
To: Bob Harper; Graham Heilbronn (Trustee); Kevin Blinco; Kim Black (Flynn Campaign Mgr); Peter Dunning; Scott Buchholz (Central Council Rep)
Cc: Mal Brough; brucemciver
Subject: LAUNCH OF LNP
Importance: HighDear TAC Members,
At Wednesday’s TAC meeting, I was to inform the group about the booked advertising schedule post Conference. Please find below the following details:
2 x 30 sec tv commercials two run for two weeks from 28/7 across all signals in Qld except Gold Coast (GC is picked up out of Brisbane signal) on channels 9 and 10 – channel 7 is fully booked due to Olympics ads will highlight theme of “a new Queensland” and will feature Springborg under the LNP branding
Kind regards,
Mary Carroll
State Secretary
The budget for the material is reputed to be $700,000. The “LNP” branding, at the very least, will now have to be jettisoned given the Nationals are charging ahead with their own party on the weekend.
This merely highlights the fact that this is a National takeover – the Liberal members have been too easily convinced that this is the answer – just wait until they meet their new party buddies and discover how little they have in common, and how little say they have.
That’s Queensland! All so reminiscent of the Monty Python political style that reigns supreme in the deep north. Wonderful to see Crikey of all publications is suddenly recognising the hilarious fodder this state so naturally produces. I’d thought Beattie had convinced not just South Carolina in the southern USA that his smart state initiatives were ‘fait accomplie’, but also the rest of our nation. The Sunshine State will be the better for a full political expose. It’s languished way too long in the Bjelke-Beattie twilight that so suited these fork-tongued spruikers. If Crikey keeps the spotlight focussed on Queensland’s ham-strung politcal product, it may well find answers to why our federal agenda is looking more than slightly parochial.
Good stuff from Bernard Keane the past week or two on ‘d merger’. It seems like the rest of Australia likes to keep governments for 2-3 terms whilst Queensland likes them for about 10 terms. Bligh is safe from external threats at least.
Shame for Queensland crying out for an opposition to “keep the bastards (and bitches) honest’
Thank goodness for conservate leaders like Springborg and Brough. The mere fact they’re leaders goes to prove the rightwing in Queensland is still at rock bottom. Keep it up boy’s you’re a great joke.
By the way, any true Liberal out there looking for a new home check out the ALP you’ll find they’re a lot closer to Liberal Democracy than the Liberals or the Nats have ever been.