CORRUPT: Balding Fat Shonk Left-Wing Eagle Lands in Red Morgue

Endangered Species Environut Latte Sipper Crook Elected on Preferences of Game Hunting Patriots

Labor's infamous corporate crook Evan Thornley has finally been elected to the Victorian Legislative Council in part because of the strong flow of preferences from those aligned with the gun and fox-hunting lobby. This most certainly rates a perfect ten on the irony meter and is seen by many observers as being either "curious", "strange" or "corrupt."

The prayers of the OC community were clearly also a factor and we can only hope divine providence continues to protect our favoured freak as he enters the Valley of the Recount.

His opponent Liberal David Southwick, an equally weird, self-obsessed rich dude from the Liberal Party has conceded defeat though claimed credit for Thornley failing to get into the Ministry with the Jewish News reporting him saying:

Despite the loss, Southwick said he was pleased that the close contest kept Thornley, touted before the election as Premier Steve Bracks’ star recruit, out of a cabinet posting.

THORNLEY'S SLEAZY DEALS
Recreational Environmental Group candidate Rita Bentley curiously allocated her first allocatable preference to Evan Thornley, completely out of sequence with other ALP candidates.

Bentley is loud and proud in her support of shooting and hunting in National Parks:

Facilitation and promotion of the shooting sports, primarily hunting and target shooting including security of tenure over ranges and access to landlocked public land.

Not only that, the candidate who gave Thornley such strong support believes in hunting the fox as the do in the old country:

Support the recreation of hunting using scent trailing hounds and utility dogs, ensuring that fair representation and consultation is made with the State Government regarding issues such as allowable hunting breeds, wild dog control, seasonal timetables, and road and land closures

And wait there's more Thornley's supporters are pushing for a new government agency to promote the interests of those game enough to hunt game:

Promote the development of a statutory State Game Authority which will fairly represent hunting and game management organisations in Victoria

GREENS SYMP GETS PREFERENCES FROM SHOOTERS // PLEASE EXPLAIN
The decision of the shooters, hunters and tally ho brigade to put the latte sipping Green symp climate change fad obsessed Thornley ahead of more mainstream candidates has caused raised eyebrows.

Bentley is a patriot who is concerned that National Parks are being used by Greens militants to colonise large tracts of land which are not sufficiently maintained and become bushfire hazards. Now she's certainly right about all that but they're certainly not views one would hear in polite conversation over $400 bottles of plonk at the House that Greed Built Casa del Thornley in Kew.

Her party's view is basically anti-Green with a strident turn of phrase that even impresses the OC Rhetoric Department:

The Green policies for the November election include establishing more national parks, alongside giving free heroin to addicts. REG's focus is on encouraging people to participate in healthy, outdoor activities - rather than those at the end of a deadly needle. The best way to ensure Victorians have an understanding of the natural environment is by getting out there to spend time appreciating it - rather than relying on Green rhetoric.

ENDANGERED SPECIES ARRIVES IN RED MORGUE
While we celebrate the election of Evan, the landing of the endangered, balding, vicious shonk eagle, could it be true that Victoria's sleaziest candidate used his chequebook to buy the preferences of this small but feisty group? Or did he make them certain commitments to buy their support.

The political disaster Stephen Mayne, who appears on the verge of being forced out of his Nameless email newsletter by owners Beecher and Dribble, summarised Rita Bentley from his own nasty latte sipping perspective:

Unfortunately, the main independent is a Toorak fishin', shootin' and 4 wheel drivin' advocate called Rita Bentley who is totally focused on stopping the Greens but decided the best strategy for this was to go to Labor and then the Liberals with her preferences. Damn!

Another equally credible source The Aged quoted Ms Bentley putting a strong view about National Parks that cause the butler in the Thornley mansion to drop his sterling silver tray:

Rita Bentley, from the Bush Users Group, said she was concerned that the Government did not carry out consultations before making the changes to parks.

"National parks do impinge on people's rights," she said. "I wonder if the local communities are aware of these additions and I'm concerned for them and I only hope there's an adequate budget to enable responsible management, especially fire fuel reduction and pest plant and animal control."

THORNLEY SUPPORTED BY THOSE WITH OPPOSITE VIEWS... WE SMELL PAYOFF
Some observers such as William Bowe whose website Poll Bludger excelled itself during the Victorian election offered this asssessment of the curious preferences flow:

It is interesting that Rita Bentley is giving Thornley such a valuable boost, as her preference ticket singles him out for special treatment – Thornley is in third place behind Bentley’s running mate Geoff Taylor, while the other Labor candidates are behind the Liberals.

William gets a lot right and he's certainly got it right that it is interesting that a latte sipper who insisted on campaigning on climate change even though the Greens own the issue received preferences from a group so diametrically opposed to his own views.

How appropriate that one of Australia's most corrupt corporate crooks has been elected in such circumstances with a cloud over his candidacy from the very beginning.

It augurs well for the next four years. We can look forward to the cliche ridden carnage of his inaugural speech. This is going to be a hoot.

Game on.