Peter Gleeson: Queensland deserves a better Opposition than this dysfunctional LNP

The Queensland LNP is run like a fiefdom — and anybody with dissenting views is excised. That might be OK in North Korea or St Petersburg, but not in Queensland, writes Peter Gleeson.

If they can’t own you, they get rid of you.

With those words, a veteran LNP insider sums up the feeling among most state MPs about the

organisational wing of the party and its attitude to its parliamentary team.

Any sign of disloyalty is met with swift retribution.

This leaves current LNP leader David Crisafulli in a difficult position.

Clearly, he was the current state executive’s guy to replace Deb Frecklington.

Yet, there is an overwhelming belief that unless there’s massive and widespread change at the top, it will be more mediocrity leading into the 2024 election.

THE WAR WITHIN

- ‘Era of distrust’ that brought down LNP from inside

- The real reason why the LNP keeps failing

- How drinks on Clive Palmer’s yacht sparked a coup

- Poison pen letter reveals LNP plan to oust Jeff Seeney

- LNP architect’s dire warning over division

The party’s organisational wing has won one election since 1998, and the LNP has languished in Opposition for 27 of the past 31 years.

The party’s rank and file deserve better. If the LNP was a private ASX listed company, the board and CEO would have been gone a long time ago.

The big question is – why are members being asked to constantly put up with being outplayed and outmanoeuvred by a Labor Party that has been beset with fiscal and integrity woes that should have seen them dispatched to the Opposition benches years ago?

It is obvious from the first of a three-part series published in The Courier-Mail that the LNP in Queensland has a clear choice.

It can stick with the status quo and be consigned in the medium to long term to more years in the political wilderness.

Former premier Campbell Newman with Tim Nicholls, Jeff Seeney and Bruce McIver. Picture: Glenn Barnes

Or it can modernise its structure and personnel and become a united, fighting machine that will give the Labor Party a run for its money in 2024.

Former deputy premier Jeff Seeney, a key lieutenant of former premier Campbell Newman, makes the claim today that the party headquarters caused Cabinet more stress and distress than the Labor Opposition when they were in government from 2012-2015.

He portrayed a dysfunctional, interfering state executive, alleging it strayed into policy matters when it was not warranted, or welcomed.

Queensland not only deserves a solid Opposition but it is an absolute necessity for good policy and governance.

The thousands of members and volunteers who put their money and resources into seeing a conservative government elected, deserve to know the truth.

They saw a political party essentially put the white flag up last year, and even worse, they saw a concerted attempt to oust the leader, Deb Frecklington, six months out from the poll.

LNP's David Crisafulli and Deb Frecklington. Picture: Peter Wallis

It says a lot about the arrogance and self-assuredness of party powerbrokers that they even thought they could get away with such a stunt.

Having been successful in 2011 with the political assassination of then leader, John Paul Langbroek, they thought they could get away with it again.
This time, say party insiders, they went too far.

It is important to also highlight the fact that the parliamentary wing of the LNP is not without blame.

It must reform its policies to better reflect the mood of the members.

But there is undeniable evidence that this is an organisation run like a fiefdom, and anybody with dissenting views to the key players is either ostracised or excised.

That is not how a democratic political party should work. It might be okay in North Korea or St Petersburg, but not in Queensland.