The Western Australian state election was the best chance the Liberal Party had to destroy Labor’s dominance in the states and territories – and the Libs had there special ops boys on the ground and in position. And Colin Barnett had Team Blue.’

Who? Team Blue. A hush-hush-HUSH kitchen cabinet of experts. A kitchen cabinet with as much skill at cooking up a win as King Alfred showed with cakes. A kitchen cabinet that would be chopped to bits on Iron Chef.

The Libs heavy brigade were all deployed – from Mark Textor down – but Colin Barnett chose to listen to Team Blue. The group seems to have evolved from a bunch of colleagues Barnett felt he could trust amidst the internecine warfare that plagues the WA Libs – and the constant leadership feints of Matt Birney – but Team Blue blew it.

They had a finger in the Grand Canal – and their arithmetic skills were on display in those famous costing – but who were Team Blue? Crikey readers, over to you. Email your thoughts to boss@crikey.com.au.

Another WA loser

Political correspondent Christian Kerr writes:

Bob Brown’s been out this week talking about Tasmanian tigers reports The Mercuryand a supposedly very big tree with a name that may distress Freudians, Gandalf’s Staff, but according to a search through Google News has had nothing to say on the Western Australian poll results.

Could this be because the Greens were walloped? How odd. Bob is usually very happy to talk – and make entirely unrealistic forecasts. Don’t say he actually was chastened by the Greens performance at the federal poll.