Why the hardest lesson for Liberals is in Willoughby, not Bega – Sydney Morning Herald

This is a fascinating start for the self-proclaimed new generation of angels sent to keep the bastards honest, as the independent turned Liberal turned Democrat Don Chipp once said.

No wonder the old school independents are seething.

But the problem for the Liberal Party is more than just the calibre of new wave independents. For decades the success of the party electorally has been due to strong performances by party leaders and local campaigns with robust policies and an enduring philosophy.

In some extreme cases parliamentary leaders have even rescued victory from the jaws of defeat by effectively bypassing the partys head office organisation. More often than not the Liberal Party has won elections despite, not because of, the party organisation.

Head office support has been notoriously hopeless, stricken by factionalism, poor resourcing and pathetic levels of membership.

But as with many dysfunctional organisations, home truths are papered over in the name of unity, with notable victories along the way providing much needed and sustaining shots of political euphoria and more importantly, credibility. Look no further than the debacle being played out currently in the federal electorate of Warringah to see the meaning of dysfunction.

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The only candidate with a real chance of returning that seat to the Liberal fold from the independent Zali Steggall, who defeated former PM Tony Abbott, has walked away in the face of internal Liberal Party dysfunction.

Repeated delays in the Warringah preselection meant that standout candidate was staring down the barrel of endorsement a matter of a month before campaigning would start for a May election. That is two minutes to midnight in anyones language.

Liberal Party statesman Sir John Carrick was fond of saying you cant fatten the pig on market day. That was a quaint, old-fashioned but profound way of saying that successful campaigning is all about being on the field early, with a good candidate, and a well-resourced campaign.

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As it stands, more than a few candidates and aspiring candidates feel more like the pig is being hung out to dry than being fattened for market day.

Michael Yabsley was a minister in the Greiner government and federal treasurer of the Liberal Party. He is the author of Dark Money A plan to reform political fundraising and election funding in Australia.

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Why the hardest lesson for Liberals is in Willoughby, not Bega - Sydney Morning Herald