And She’s Gone!

Another changing of the political guard in Victoria:

(Note: this article is being updated as news develops.)

Jacinta Allan has just resigned. Actually, she has been rolled as Victoria’s Premier. With one disaster after another, including massive corruption, a ruined economy, runaway crime problems, massive debt, potholes everywhere, and a total disregard for the Victorian people, the socialist left leader was walking on borrowed time.

A recent NewsPoll concerning her approval rating had found that 25% were satisfied with her and 71% dissatisfied with her, with 4% uncommitted. All that led to a leadership challenge, with her former Deputy putting his hand up for the job, even though he promised just weeks ago not to challenge her.

In her bitter resignation speech, she claimed she could have won a ballot on her position, but said she was doing what was ‘best for Labor and Victoria’! Yeah right. She has destroyed the state, and we are all paying the price for her many blunders and just plain evil decisions and agenda items.

And she said her proudest achievement as leader had to do with what she did for women. Um, this is the Party that cannot even tell you what a woman is! There was nothing gracious or humble about her speech – just more political spin.

As Rita Panahi just commented: “She went out as she governed; gaslighting the Victorian people. She achieved precisely the opposite of what she claims, we are now more debt riddled, less safe and more divided.” Sadly so. Her departure was long overdue.

But something had to be done before the State election in November. Just yesterday the Melbourne Age was reporting that she had known three years ago all about the corruption, the standover tactics, and the brazen criminality that caused a $15bn blowout in Victoria’s $109bn Big Build program.

Allan had known about this, but she did nothing about it. Of course for years now radical union groups like the CFMEU have been the real ones to run Victoria and make financial gain – not ordinary Victorians. It is this ugly political machine that Labor is beholden to.

Jacinta Allan was a typical Labor party hack, who has been in politics since she was 25. Like so many, there was little she knew about actual labour and working conditions or running a small business. After being in the top job for three years, she can retire with a very cushy $400,000 a year pension.

New leader?

It was assumed that Allan would be replaced by Ben Carroll, but during a quite lengthy and heated party room meeting, things turned ugly, with leftist MLA Sonya Kilkenny throwing a spanner into the works. As I type this, she has just been declared to be the interim leader. So it is all chaos. We thus must wait for another 6 weeks before we finally learn who in fact will actually replace Allan and take Labor to the election.

If it does end up being Carroll, he will become the 50th Premier of Victoria. Although part of the right faction of Labor, he had been a loyal yes man to Allan, so it remains to be seen if he would be any different than the disastrous Daniel Andrews/Jacinta Allan machine that had absolutely destroyed this state.

Carroll, who was the Deputy Premier, has a law background, and was Minister for Education under Allan. Simply being a fresh face in the leadership job will not revive the flagging fortunes of Labor. He will have to get serious about what ails the government. Chief on the list should be to hold a Royal Commission into union thuggery and corruption and billions of lost taxpayer dollars. Whether he has the guts to take such steps remains to be seen.

And whether he could turn around the sinking ship that is Victorian Labor remains to be seen as well. Four months is not a long time to get things right here. And with One Nation seemingly on a roll, some sort of preference deal with the Libs should ensure that Labor get booted out on Saturday November 28.

Obviously more political updates will be forthcoming in the hours and days ahead, so stay tuned.

Update

Ben Carroll is now the new Victorian Premier. After a raucous and chaotic 2-hour caucus meeting, and a last-minute challenge, Carroll has ended up getting the nod for the top job. He was elected unanimously.

In a speech just given, he sought to distinguish himself from his two recent predecessors. He said he was not Daniel Andrews or Jacinta Allan. And he said he would have a Royal Commission into the Victorian construction industry and the unions involved.

As to being called out about telling his own daughter that he would not challenge Allan, Carroll offered the same lousy excuse that Albo had used about his broken economic election promises; ‘circumstances have changed’. It is getting so very stale.

Also in breaking news, embattled MP Moira Deeming has announced that she has resigned from the Parliamentary Liberal Party and will sit as an independent. She said this in part about her new direction:

“I was elected to fight for freedom, fair laws, and families. To save our state from the endemic corruption, crushing debt, and the rising crime crisis, Labor has got to go. I remain fully committed to seeing that through. Thank you to those who have supported me.”

Spiritual considerations

Just as for years I had been praying regularly for Dan Andrews that God would either improve or remove him, so too I have been praying for Allan. Either get things turned around (with getting right with God the first and most important step) and stop the corrupt and woke nonsense that has been sending Victoria bankrupt, or get moved out of the way.

Andrews retired while Allan was pushed out. I am sure many others were praying similar sorts of things for these arrogant and unrepresentative leaders. Now I and others will have to offer daily prayers for Carroll, or whoever the leader is.

 Sure, it may seem like God can be slow to act, but ALL leaders will only be around for so long. That is the clear teaching of Scripture. Just now I am again reading through the book of Isaiah. Chapters 13-24 are all about the judgments of God on the nations, on the whole world, and even on his own people when they become wayward and disobedient.

Moments ago I read this passage which seems quite relevant to this discussion. Isaiah 22:19-21 says this: “I will thrust you from your office, and you will be pulled down from your station. In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your sash on him, and will commit your authority to his hand.”

We have certainly seen Jacinta thrust from office, replaced by another. Yes, individuals, leaders and nations are all accountable and responsible for their actions. But standing behind them all is a God who acts. He raises up leaders and nations and he takes them down. As we read in Daniel 2:21: “He changes times and seasons; he deposes kings and raises up others.”

The Libs have often and for too long been quite terrible in opposition. But almost any party other than Labor would have to be somewhat better. So I will keep praying that God saves and/or turns around the nation of Australia and the State of Victoria. Both certainly need it.

And I will keep praying for Albo and Co, along with the new leader in Spring Street, Melbourne. You should too.

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