Saturday, May 15, 2010

Payback! LNP Style

When Aidan McLindon and Rob Messenger left the fold of the Queensland LNP they should have been aware that they would be subject of a fierce backlash. But this week the LNP hit out with claims that Rob Messenger used his Parliamentary travel allowance to visit Townsville, the location of his budding romance to now his now wife. They suggest he may have done this inappropriately, considering he is the member for Burnett just north of Hervey Bay.

Now it would be naive to think that this did not come from LNP HQ as McLindon took the first strike last week by suggesting that Party President Bruce McIver had requested him to pay some of his electorate allowance into a marginal seats fund.

What interests me is the question of how long the LNP had known of the travel usage. It was from 2008-09. Why had they not recommended investigation by the Crime and Misconduct Commission. If proven this may amount to an illegal use of travel allowances which should be investigated by the CMC. Would the LNP have sat on this had Messenger not spectacularly left the LNP? I think they would have.

I don't think we have seen the end of the open fighting between these rebel MP's and the LNP. Or the Labor party for that matter. All this saga does is strengthen my opinion that the LNP is not fit to govern, no matter the public image of the current government.

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