‘Unsavoury episode”: Mayor Brendan Blomeley’s latest Liberal peace plan fails

Clarence mayor Brendan Blomeley has been a member of the Liberal Party for 33 years and he’s not given up on having his expulsion overturned. Find out the latest in the ongoing debate.

Clarence Mayor Brendan Blomeley. Picture: Chris Kidd

The Liberal Party state council is expected to decide whether exiled Clarence mayor Brendan Blomeley’s membership should be reinstated after a second peace plan into what he describes as an “unsavoury episode” has been rejected.

In an email to Franklin Liberals, Mr Blomeley, who was chair of the Franklin electorate committee, said the “only option left” to resolve the impasse was at state council.

However, Party president Michael McKenna told the Mercury: “Consistent with the Liberal Party constitution, Mr Blomeley is welcome to apply to rejoin the party at any time.”

Mr Blomoely wrote that to have the matter considered in the State Council forum was regrettable.

“But [it is] the only alternative left to the membership concerned about principle, democracy, fairness and following the constitution. Matters at the very heart of our Party,” he wrote.

“Many of you have also expressed your disbelief with the current leadership of our Party and the toxic environment.

“Some have resigned and many others have considered that course of action. The public reaction is just as strong.

“The Liberal base is bewildered.”

Mr Blomeley was expelled for not hosing down media speculation about whether he would run as an independent at the March state election.

Premier Jeremey Rockliff, deputy Premier Michael Ferguson and senior ministers Guy Barnett and Eric Abetz devised a peace plan where Mr Blomeley would apologise and Mr McKenna would withdraw the letter ending his membership.

Mr Abetz chaired a committee of other senior Liberals and came up with a similar plan – but it went further with Mr Blomeley agreeing not to seek any organisational position in the party for 12 months.

Mr Blomeley narrowly missed out to Mr McKenna in the contest for party president last year.

In the email, he wrote that the second peace plan was put to the party’s leadership “and rejected out of hand without even the decency of a counter proposal”.

“This would have put an end to this whole unsavoury episode.”

Mr Blomeley said “misinformation being mischievously pedalled” about him was “not only personally hurtful to my wife and me, but more importantly, proof positive that the current leadership is not about Party but self-preservation”.

He has argued that the party’s actions were unconstitutional and “unnecessarily divisive”.

“There is no question that this is not the Liberal Party that I joined as an idealistic 16-year-old some 33 years ago, and that is so very sad.

“The support offered has been encouraging and heartwarming on a personal level, but this matter, as I’ve said from the beginning, is about the principle.

“If the leadership can so abuse the constitution on a mayor and electorate chair, it can do it to anyone of us.”

Originally published as ‘Unsavoury episode”: Mayor Brendan Blomeley’s latest Liberal peace plan fails