It's been an extraordinary day in NSW politics this week / Even a single night is too long in politics as on Tuesday was to mark the last day of ICAC's inquiry into Obeid-linked company Australian Water Holdings, which is now in its fifth week Barry O'Farrell in witness box
PS: Sydney, once home to the Rum Corps, is now apparently home to the Penfold Grange Corps, writes Tony Wright in a sketch piece surrounding today's events.
PS: Sydney, once home to the Rum Corps, is now apparently home to the Penfold Grange Corps, writes Tony Wright in a sketch piece surrounding today's events.
Barry O'Farrell Resigns
(PS - the world of lobbyists Down Under: The ICAC has been following the influence of Eddie Obeid through a series of inquiries. The next, codenamed Operation Spicer, is expected to expose how influence peddling and backroom deals crossed from the Labor Party to the Liberals with the change of government in 2011.
Lobbyists Tend to take the low road) / “The thing about Barry is he wasn’t an overt control freak. He was a covert control freak, he had all these Machiavellian devices to keep hold of everything.”
Cuddly Barry O'Farrell was really a cranky bear
Bear Pit and it's secrets in the sunlight; "McCutcheon Breeds Cynicism: When it comes to campaign finance, the public's perception of corruption matters; But what if the public doesn't care?" Dahlia Lithwick has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate
(PS - the world of lobbyists Down Under: The ICAC has been following the influence of Eddie Obeid through a series of inquiries. The next, codenamed Operation Spicer, is expected to expose how influence peddling and backroom deals crossed from the Labor Party to the Liberals with the change of government in 2011.
Lobbyists Tend to take the low road) / “The thing about Barry is he wasn’t an overt control freak. He was a covert control freak, he had all these Machiavellian devices to keep hold of everything.”
Cuddly Barry O'Farrell was really a cranky bear
Bear Pit and it's secrets in the sunlight; "McCutcheon Breeds Cynicism: When it comes to campaign finance, the public's perception of corruption matters; But what if the public doesn't care?" Dahlia Lithwick has this jurisprudence essay online at Slate
Former NSW premier, Australian foreign minister and diarist Bob Carr has given an interview in Brisbane where he's spruiking his new book.
Mr Carr has said Mr O'Farrell had no alternative to resign, but would not be drawn on whether Mr O’Farrell’s “significant memory fail” about being gifted a $3000 bottle of 1959 Grange wine was plausible.
“Given that the Premier’s resigned, I don’t think there’s any more in argument, the point is he’s accepted the case and that’s really all that matters at this point,” he said.
"...As the evidence was emerging I think even his closest friends and supporters would saythere was going to be no alternative to this. It was decisive of him to get to the point quickly rather than to fight on.
Having attracted ridicule about the parts of his diary that focus on diet and exercise, Mr Carr - who gave up drinking three years ago - said he wouldn’t know how many calories were in a bottle of ’59 Grange.
“Too many... wine is full of sugar, and after wasting too much of my life savouring good wine, I reached a decision that the disadvantages outweigh the joy of the stuff,” he said.
“As tempted as I am by a wonderful pinot noir from time to time, I think being clear-headed is the better course.”