Wednesday, 25th January, 2006

The Labor Party is fast perfecting a new way of holding a ballot. Instead of all getting together at a formal meeting and actually voting, members of parliament talk among themselves until a consensus emerges as to who would win if a vote was held. Then that person is unanimously declared the winner.

So it was for Alan Carpenter who was anointed as Premier to replace Geoff Gallop after he retired from politics announcing he was suffering from depression. Slightly taking the gloss off Mr Carpenter's elevation was the suggestion that the MPs were helped in their deliberations by factional bosses who might be outside the Parliament but who play a significant role in deciding who gets pre-selected to get in to it.

Former Premier Brian Burke is in that category. The time he spent in prison for rorting his expenses has not removed his influence within the WA Labor Party. Local journalists suggest he was very much involved in the backroom manoeuvring that saw Mr Carpenter become the only candidate.

WA News