We initially intended to save all internal Victorian ALP FEA election stories for one big story but some stories just can't wait.
State Socialist Left MP Lily D'Ambrosio and the arrogant buffoon Sam Alessi did such a poor job in running the Left's operation in Scullin that it had a devastating impact on the result achieved by the militant faction in the northern suburban federal seat. Alessi is understood to have boasted in pre-election negotiations that the Left had eleven delegate positions "as a certainty."
Despite a surprising dummy spit from the ETU's Nathan Murphy who all but boycotted the poll when a negotiated deal he worked on didn't eventuate, the anti Socialist Left forces polled quite well in a seat that traditionally has been strongly Left. Murphy's disappointing effort is not likely to be repeated if he expects strong local support from moderates going forward, insiders say.
Even still, on the number of votes cast, the SL ought to have received 10.4 of the delegates of 18 to be elected.
SILLY LILY THE BUNGLER
But due to Lily's bungling of the how to vote cards issued to Socialist Left stacks in the area and the errors made by several of her semi-literate, elderly Italian communist branch members in completing their ballot papers (21 informal votes, a local record), the Socialist Left elected only nine delegates.
D'Ambrosio is aligned to the anti-Carr part of the Socialist Left, hailing from the Federated Clerks Union which the Left took over from patriots and all but disintegrated in the 1990s to a now very small part of the Australian Services Union. She and the Tannerites ended up being far more effective union-busters than Hugh Morgan and the HR Nicholls Society ever were.
TEACHING YOUNG LEFTIES HOW TO WASTE A QUOTA
The farcical situation caused even more humour insiders say because her intra-factional patron, Andrew Giles, whose grey hair appears to grow greyer with each FEA election fiasco, had brought in a number of young Socialist Left trainee hack militants to watch how a count was conducted at head office.
The young leftards got to see up close and personal how Lily's incompetent ticketing succeeded in electing Labor moderate delegates, much to Andrew Giles apparently very visible frustration and anxiety.
They must surely be wondering what they've signed themselves up for.
The overall result was 9 moderates elected, 9 leftards, a great effort by the local moderates. They should reinstate the atheist local MP for Mill Park to their Christmas Card list.
Game on.
MORE RESULTS TO COME TOMORROW
since failed candidate 
