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ADVICE PROVIDED

Further to an earlier post on political losers turned winners:

Taxpayers are paying failed Labor candidate Mike Bailey $12,500 a month to provide “strategic advice” to State Government minister Tony Kelly.

Mr Bailey, a weatherman also employed to read weekend weather on Channel Nine, was handed the four-day-a-week, taxpayer-funded job after he failed to beat Joe Hockey in the seat of North Sydney at last November’s federal election.

Shortly after the election, Bailey campaigner Kirk McKenzie wrote:

Perhaps you think [Bailey] was on a promise. Nope - and the Federal ALP was not even promising to fund his campaign. He was to rely for funds on the Party’s local branch and the support of his friend, Tony Kelly, Labor’s NSW Minister for Lands ...

What will Bailey get out of this? Probably nothing - except great respect for his commitment, and hundreds of new friends.

And $750 every working day. For advice.

Posted by Tim B. on 03/30/2008 at 09:28 AM
  1. Cronyism, on the Right, it is damnable corruption; on the Left, it is business as usual.

    Posted by Spiny Norman on 2008 03 30 at 10:34 AM • permalink

  2. Oh good. Just what we need. More people to stare into mirrors.

    Posted by Ash_ on 2008 03 30 at 11:00 AM • permalink

  3. I reckon I’m in the wrong business.

    Posted by Harry Bergeron on 2008 03 30 at 11:03 AM • permalink

  4. I know I’m in the wrong business. How does one become a political crony? Is there some sort of apprenticeship involved?

    Posted by Spiny Norman on 2008 03 30 at 11:17 AM • permalink

  5. Speaking of political losers, this spavined old nag is being talked up as a possible contender.

    Posted by paco on 2008 03 30 at 12:23 PM • permalink

  6. Gore won’t run.  Too much light on his major income source—carbon indulgences!  Also, someone might want him to do his environment speech for TV.  And expose him for the con man he really is.

    Posted by rabidfox on 2008 03 30 at 12:39 PM • permalink

  7. Bugger. I’m in the wrong business.

    I’ve got a rock on a piece of string. I can tell Kelly what the weather is.

    Why don’t I get $750/day?

    Reckon I could just scrape by on over $12k/month.

    For FA.

    Posted by kae on 2008 03 30 at 03:20 PM • permalink

  8. Glad we’ve got an independent commission against corruption to ensure things like this can’t happen.

    Posted by Ian Deans on 2008 03 30 at 03:26 PM • permalink

  9. Hey, c’mon.  Advice from the weatherman is very important.  Don’t you want to know what it’s going to do on the weekened?  Australian Working Families might be planning picnics.

    Posted by anthony_r on 2008 03 30 at 05:18 PM • permalink

  10. Recently I included Tony Kelly in a list of decent Labor blokes.

    As a child, one would get a short back and sides from Frank Kelly, father of Tony, in his barber shop in Wellington NSW. Little boys would sit on a wooden box, placed in the barbers chair. It was a rite of passage to be told by Frank “I don’t think we need the box anymore”.

    Frank and Frances Kelly raised a large family and all did well and are highly thought of. School books and clothese were handed up, down, back and forth between our families. Frank was a stalwart of St Vincent de Paul and the epitome of a decent bloke.

    Many on both sides of politics, including me, think that if and when this current bunch of stooges are cleaned out Kelly may one day be Labor premier of NSW.

    This act of blatant cronyism is certainly a black mark against him and serves to draw him near the current ship of fools rather than further away.

    What on earth are you thinking of Tony ?

    Posted by Pickles on 2008 03 30 at 07:38 PM • permalink

  11. /RELATED BUT ONLY SLIGHTLY

    I checked out North Sydney electoral district as it appears to be held by a man called HOCKEY.

    Well, I thought, there must be a Canadian connection here. Unfortunately, my relatives live on the Bilgola plateau, which isn’t in North Sydney.

    Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 03 30 at 07:39 PM • permalink

  12. #5 Paco, I still believe that this guy charletan still wants to be President more than earn gazillions of dollars with his global warming scam. His ego is so big he would go for it if asked.

    He has even spent lots of time indoctrinating several thousand believers at believer camps who would be there in a <searching for word here> twisk.

    However, the manouveur would be so transparent ....

    Hey, let’s covertly support Gore For President :-)

    Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 03 30 at 07:46 PM • permalink

  13. For Everybody’s Information: I already checked, so don’t waste your time, there are no Canadian MPs named “Joe Footy”.

    Posted by andycanuck on 2008 03 30 at 07:51 PM • permalink

  14. Talking of failed politicos on the gravy train, just saw Al bin Gore talking of teh moral duty of his new religion.

    I hope he runs.

    (BTW the fawning 60 minutes commentator mentioned that he had put some of his PERSONAL MONEY into the campaign. Would that be s ssmall fraction of the millions he is making from the scam?

    I feel contimanted; I shall light a cleansing candle.

    Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 03 30 at 07:54 PM • permalink

  15. contaminated ... sheesh!

    Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 03 30 at 07:55 PM • permalink

  16. #13 great research, Andy. Are we ahead of the game or what?

    Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 03 30 at 08:04 PM • permalink

  17. WE WON THE CUP WE WON THE CUP

    OK, I admit it, I don’t have a life.

    Posted by Wimpy Canadian on 2008 03 30 at 08:09 PM • permalink

  18. #1 Bailey ABC to ALP to ALP. Fair weather friend to ABC.
    #5 Too Gorey
    #17 curls which way?

    Posted by stackja1945 on 2008 03 30 at 08:31 PM • permalink

  19. And $750 every working day. For advice.

    The Liberals should pay him double to advise Labour, the man is a complete Liability.

    Posted by rob w on 2008 03 30 at 08:57 PM • permalink

  20. ...after he failed to beat Joe Hockey…

    Wimpy Canadian and andycanuck: Don’t you wish you were named Joe Hockey? I know I wish I was! Too cool.

    Posted by JDBagain on 2008 03 30 at 11:14 PM • permalink

  21. #17 Wimpy

    Curling… is that the game where someone runs along and sweeps the lane ahead of the stone? On ice? Seems very Canadian.

    Posted by Spiny Norman on 2008 03 31 at 01:52 AM • permalink

  22. #9 anthony_r

    Hey, c’mon.  Advice from the weatherman is very important.

    Sure - really valuable - Mike Bailey - Sydney weatherman!

    Posted by Wand on 2008 03 31 at 05:07 AM • permalink

  23. I liked Mike ... when he was just Mr. Nice Guy weatherman. But he joined The Team. The same team Andrew Bolt again comprehensively outed today for two pre-election frauds on the voters:
    1. That the Intervention was discriminatory and that there was a stolen generation, and that Labor would not do “that sort of thing.” Objections were made by WA’s Carpenter in particular, and sold as if it were not part of an ALP election strategy.
    2. That Howard’s Water Plan was flawed and everyone including the media were complicit in presenting it as if Victoria was acting unilaterally, not in concert with ALP election strategists.

    Posted by blogstrop on 2008 03 31 at 06:22 AM • permalink

  24. Incidentally, the Australian skewers Media Report for tacking left to protect Macklin. No soft-soap was ever offered if a coalition minister transgressed the ABC codes of PC.

    Posted by blogstrop on 2008 03 31 at 06:34 AM • permalink

  25. While on/off topic, I want to congratulate James Valentine (ABC 702) for his brief statement recently that he had been booted from the ABC Left factions (real or imaginary), due to saying too many things which might be construed as almost conserative-ish. Go James! Love your show.

    Posted by blogstrop on 2008 03 31 at 06:38 AM • permalink

  26. 25 - is that the same James Velentine who was with The Models, and later compared afternoon TV on Aunty?
    That guy introduced me to The Fabluously Mental Misadventures Of Ed Grimley. A damn fine cartoon.

    Posted by SwinishCapitalist on 2008 03 31 at 06:51 AM • permalink

  27. That’s the one!

    Posted by blogstrop on 2008 03 31 at 07:21 AM • permalink

  28. Yeah, that’s him, the best of a bad bunch.

    Posted by JAFA on 2008 03 31 at 04:17 PM • permalink

  29. Oh, and you pathetic losers who dare to question His Greenness’ veracity and/or intelligence?

    Flat Earthers!

    Just so ya know.

    Posted by mojo on 2008 04 01 at 01:46 PM • permalink

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