Backroom Baz: Kingmaker Guy’s blunder will go down in history

Premier hopeful Matthew Guy made a hilarious blunder in his condolence motion to the Queen — but who’s to blame?

Most scholars agree that King Arthur is mythical but Matthew Guy may disagree.

Someone very wise once told Baz that the most dangerous thing in politics is not when the people hate you, but when they laugh and mock you.

Why? Because you can respect someone even if you hate them, you rarely respect someone that you mock and laugh at.

Which is bad news for premier hopeful Matthew Guy who this week was widely mocked after pointing to King Arthur as one of the UK’s great rulers in his condolence motion to the Queen.

Now, Baz can’t say for sure, but most scholars agree Arthur is mythical.

The official response out of Guy’s office is that he misspoke, and meant to reference that well-known monarch King Alfred.

Baz isn’t buying it.

So who wrote the speech? And who proofread it?

Certainly not the party’s most vocal monarchist, Tim Smith, who would have picked up the mistake in an instant. He was quick to background media on the blunder too, before taking to Twitter to publicly mock his own leader.

Oh, dear.

Matthew Guy was widely mocked after pointing to King Arthur as one of the UK’s great rulers. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Strictly fundraising

It’s about time this boring state election campaign had a bit of musicality, please. Instead of trying to bend our ear for a tick, two Labor candidates have listened to the rhythm and brought a bit of Fruity Rumba to their financing efforts.

Hastings candidate Paul Mercurio and Nepean MP Chris Brayne are hosting a fundraiser to end fundraisers today, with a 30th anniversary screening of Strictly Ballroom at the Dromana Drive-In. Regular readers will know Baz has been following the political aspirations of Mercurio, AKA Strictly’s lead man Scott Hastings, and it’s good to see him embracing his iconic past while on the hustings. The event, at about $100 a car, will raise funds for both candidates, and includes a live Q&A with the star before the movie. It might not be a $4500 a head dinner at Raheen, but certainly a fun night out.

Hayley Bester this week ended her lengthy stint as a spinner in the Andrews government.

Spinner’s nuggest of wisdom

It was the end of an era in the premier’s office this week after Hayley “Nuggs” Bester ended her lengthy stint as a spinner in the Andrews government. Going out on good terms, this column is reliably informed she’ll be spending time searching for Australia’s best chicken nugget in between cans (of beer), rest and recovery time.

Sources also confirmed that she made sure to sledge a selection of journalists and media outlets on her way out the door. Baz hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with Bester, mostly when she accuses this column of getting it wrong, but it’s been a wild ride and Spring St will be poorer without her. Still, Baz reckons she’ll be back.

Crown defence

On the topic of Queen Elizabeth’s sad demise, Baz is all about showing the utmost respect for our sovereign. But are some pollies now just using it to hide? Word has reached Baz that one federal minister this week refused to respond to a media inquiry “out of respect to the passing of the Queen”. Oh, come on.

Tim Pallas Pallas was voted the worst boss in Victoria or Tasmania. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Tim earns an untimely gong

Treasurer Tim Pallas took home a prize this week, but not one he would be all too pleased about. Spies at the Australian Services Union delegates conference tell Baz Pallas was voted the worst boss in Victoria or Tasmania.

“Pallas’s clear win was due to the privatisation of VicRoads and his passion for wage suppression in the public sector, local government, and the community sector,” according to one well-placed source. It’s understood an event to present the dubious honour is possible before the Victorian election, amid concerns Pallas will struggle to be re-elected come November.

Dan Andrews was a no-show and Police Minister Anthony Carbines was sent to the annual Police Association delegates conference. Picture: Alison Wynd

Dan’s cop-out

Baz is rarely wrong. Last week he tipped Premier Daniel Andrews would skip the annual Police Association delegates conference for the first time in recent memory. And that’s exactly what happened on Friday, with Police Minister Anthony Carbines sent in to speak on behalf of the government instead.

The Premier’s no-show went down like a lead balloon with police still reeling from being used throughout the Covid pandemic to implement a raft of measures many didn’t agree with. “He could have at least shown up to a conference,” one cop told Baz.

Overheard by Baz

“I do know from my experience in the health system that sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches of what’s going on.”

— Education Minister Natalie Hutchins makes one of the biggest political gaffes Spring St has seen in some time, telling a cancer patient to deal with delays in the health system

Got any scuttlebutt for Baz? [e-mail] Twitter: @BackroomBaz