Ricky Muir & M.E.P.

[cheap]

Another one bites the dust... here they go again.

Has there actually been anything resembling a live interview from Senator Ricky where he outlines motorist policy?

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politi...24-11bg8e.html

Senator Ricky Muir has lost his second chief of staff in three months after Sarah Mennie quit on Friday.

Ms Mennie had previously worked for independent senator Nick Xenophon and the head of the Fair Work Building and Construction commission, Nigel Hadgkiss.

Her exit comes after the so-called "preference whisperer", Glenn Druery, was sacked by Senator Muir in August.

At the time, Mr Druery blamed his exit on Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party founder Keith Littler, who he accused of plotting to take Senator Muir's seat in Parliament.

Another staffer, Susan Bloodworth, quit in protest at Mr Druery's sacking. And just days later another staffer, Peter Breen joined the exodus as Senator Muir's office imploded.

Ms Mennie only joined Senator Muir's office in July. It is understood that she will be returning to work for Mr Hadgkiss and that there is no ill-will towards the Victorian Senator.

Ms Mennie declined to comment when contacted by Fairfax Media.

Mr Littler, a truck driver from Queensland who produces motor sport videos, has moved to Melbourne with his wife Sharyn, to steer his electorate office.

[LoudPipes]

This is an article from mid August and I haven't noticed anything between it and yours.
Apart from his office rebuilds there doesn't appear to be much happening in his world that would be of benefit to his Constituents .

Senator Ricky Muir rebuilds office, says he's in it for the long haul

Date: 14th August, 2014
Judith Ireland - National political reporter

Australian Motoring Enthusiast senator Ricky Muir has been driving on a bumpy road, losing three staff members, including his most senior aide, in his first month in Parliament.

He has also had to contend with accusations Motoring Enthusiast Party founder Keith Littler is trying to take his Senate seat, in a bizarre plot known as "Plan Z".

But Senator Muir is standing firm in his new job and has pledged he will serve his full six years as Senator, possibly more.

"I have all intention of sticking around for the whole six years. Who knows? Maybe another 12 or 18," he told Fairfax Media.

Senator Muir said he was in the "process of rebuilding" his office and was "comfortable" with how things were progressing.

He has recently promoted adviser Sarah Mennie to the top chief of staff role.

Ms Mennie has a background in journalism and has previously worked for independent South Australian senator Nick Xenophon. She replaces "preference whisperer" Glenn Druery who was spectacularly sacked by Senator Muir late last month and escorted out of Parliament House.

Mr Druery's sacking was soon followed by that of adviser Peter Breen.

Senator Muir claimed that Mr Breen had taken a sickie, while Mr Breen said he had been having a skin cancer operated on.

During the upheaval, office administrator Susan Bloodworth, who worked in the Melbourne office, also quit in protest.

Senator Muir has been using the parliamentary break to rebuild his office. Along with Ms Mennie he has also appointed a new staff member for admin. He is still looking for a replacement for Mr Breen and Mr Littler continues to work for the Senator.

Despite reports Mr Littler is after his job, Senator Muir told 2UE Radio on Thursday that he was "happy" to have Mr Littler on his staff and was "working well with him".

Senator Muir had a meeting with Treasurer Joe Hockey last week about the budget and has also had briefings from other lobbyists and MPs over the Parliamentary break.

The Motoring Enthusiast Senator said he would not come out with a final position on the $7 GP fee just yet. But he said he had concerns about the government's move to make people under 30 wait six months for unemployment payments.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politi...#ixzz3H3EjlxwV

[Itsme]

Hey c'mon she quit, did not get sacked like the last one!

[Grunter]

Give him a break. Clive... I mean Ricky knows what he's doing.

[cheap]

And yet another staffer abandons MEP!

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politi...04-11g4bt.html

Quote: And former staffers have revealed Senator Muir is frequently undermined by Motoring Enthusiast Party founder Keith Littler, who repeatedly calls his party's sole parliamentary representative "an oxygen thief"

MEP is finished, a huge car crash with no survivors

[dead_man00124]

im pretty sure the guys on AFF could do a much better job than MEP at this point.

from what I can tell there is so much infighting in the party it borders on rediculous.

[b2tf]

This bloke is nothing more than a bogan in a suit and probably does the perception of "motoring enthusiasts" more harm than good.

[pursuit2359]

Originally Posted by b2tf

This bloke is nothing more than a bogan in a suit and probably does the perception of "motoring enthusiasts" more harm than good.

Don't forget, Clive Palmer bought that suit (and another one). Ricky declared it in his pecuniary interests form.

[irish2]

Originally Posted by b2tf

This bloke is nothing more than a bogan in a suit and probably does the perception of "motoring enthusiasts" more harm than good.

Bogan in a suit, or lawyer in a suit. I know which one I trust more...

[Elks]

Originally Posted by b2tf

This bloke is nothing more than a bogan in a suit and probably does the perception of "motoring enthusiasts" more harm than good.

Maybe, maybe not.

Having been to a meet and greet with the AMEP I can promise you the Littlers, Keith and Sharyn have him on an extremely short leash, with their eye firmly on the prize. They answer his questions, they answer his emails and when the questions got mild, long before they got hard, they up and left. The senator had another appointment. 10 pm on a Tuesday. Really.

I don't know why Ricky lets this happen. But he does.

Oh and in the fine fine print of the AMEP constitution the Federal Executive of the AMEP, Keith & Sharyn Littler can amend the constitution when and how they see fit. Not quite democratic.

I feel sorry for Ricky, he seems like a good ordinary guy, but Keith is working hard to be become the Senator. And at all costs.

If you want to know how this will play out read McBeth.

[BHDOGS]

Hey you just voted for me and this is crazy but i have no policys seeya in six years maybe.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by BHDOGS

Hey you just voted for me and this is crazy but i have no policys seeya in six years maybe.

and all the other boys try to chase me, so heres my number, so call me maybe?

[nuthin' fancy]

There was a report on ABC774 yesterday that Keith Littler is aiming to get Muir out and replace him to become a Sentaor himself.

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politi...04-11g4bt.html

A fifth political operative has quit the office of Motoring Enthusiast senator Ricky Muir, marking an almost total exodus of staff in just three months.
And former staffers have revealed Senator Muir is frequently undermined by Motoring Enthusiast Party founder Keith Littler, who repeatedly calls his party's sole parliamentary representative "an oxygen thief".
Melbourne-based electoral staffer Fiona Marshall quit on Friday, just a week after Senator Muir lost his second chief-of-staff, Sarah Mennie.

Crossbench senators are allocated six members of staff and Senator Muir has now all but turned over his entire office since taking office on July 1.
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Ms Mennie's exit late last month came after the so-called "preference whisperer", Glenn Druery, was axed by Senator Muir in August. Susan Bloodworth quit the office in protest at Mr Druery's sacking.
And former political adviser Peter Breen joined the exodus from Senator Muir's office soon after Mr Druery and Ms Bloodworth. He was sacked for travelling to the Byron Bay Writers Festival even though he was recovering from skin cancer surgery at the time.

Mr Druery blamed his departure on party founder Mr Littler, who he accused of scheming to take Senator Muir's seat in Parliament. Mr Littler, who was the party's No.1 Senate candidate in Queensland, and his wife Sharyn moved to Melbourne to work for Senator Muir following his unexpected election.
A number of people who have worked in Senator Muir's office have told Fairfax Media they believe Mr Littler is actively planning for a time when he will take over the Senate seat won by the Motoring Enthusiast Party.
Two former staff said Mr Littler regularly refers to the senator as an "oxygen thief". He has also said that Senator Muir "won the lottery and he didn't even buy a ticket".

Asked if he had described Senator Muir as an "oxygen thief", Mr Littler said "to be quite honest with you, I can't comment".
He said the fact that five staff had left in three months was "nothing to do with me".
In August, Fairfax revealed the sackings of Mr Druery and Mr Breen, a former NSW upper-house MP.
At the time, Mr Druery claimed Mr Littler was working on a plan to force out Senator Muir, known in the office as "Plan Z".
Before his departure, Mr Breen wrote an official report to the Parliament in which he outlined dysfunction in the office and a series of allegations against Mr Littler.
In his letter he revealed that at least one other senator - understood to be a Liberal from South Australia - had complained about Mr Littler.
The letter described Mr Littler's "volatile temper, aggression, offensive language, inappropriate remarks about Aboriginal people, Asians and women and his disagreeable demeanour".
Fairfax Media sought to contact Ms Marshall without success.
In a written statement, Senator Muir said he felt it was unfair that his staff, past or present, be "subjected to media coverage".
"It is common in all workforces for people to come and go for a variety of different reasons. Out of respect for all my staff members, past or present, the reason for ceasing employment will remain private," he said.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politi...#ixzz3IFJI0s4o

[ACTIV8]

What do you mean a G20 is not a Fairlane?

[opto]

If the statements are true, Senator Muir would be better to distance himself from Mr Littler, become an Independent. Littler sounds to volatile, too aggressive to even consider contention in Parliament.

[LoudPipes]

A bit of an update on the Motoring Enthusiast Senator.

How Senator Ricky Muir could save or sink the Abbott government's final sitting week of 2014

Date: 2 December, 2014
Mark Kenny
Chief political correspondent

One of the nation's lowest profile politicians is emerging as a possible linchpin in delivering the Abbott government a key victory, but has gone to farcical lengths to avoid the spotlight.

With most right-wing crossbenchers beginning to line up behind the government's university deregulation reforms, the little-known Victorian rookie, the Motoring Enthusiast Party's Ricky Muir, is said to be inclined towards supporting the plan.

The media-shy senator finally emerged into the light outside Parliament House on Tuesday to help launch the Parliamentary Friends of Motoring group but refused to declare a position.

Under pressure from a large gaggle of press gallery journalists, he would only discuss motoring issues in a media scrum that threatened to descend into embarrassment.

"Senator, are you scared of us?" one reporter asked as Senator Muir retreated from the fourth estate. Liberal MP Fiona Scott, who was also at the launch, berated the media for their persistent questioning.

For 15 minutes the senator refused to answer questions on his position on the government's higher education bill or whether he was still aligned with the Palmer United Party. As reporters followed him, Senator Muir smiled throughout.

Afterwards he only said, he was still making up his mind on university policy.

Senator Muir had been a quarter of the Palmer United Party bloc before it disintegrated last month and has laid low ever since.

Fairfax Media understands some in the government are cautiously optimistic of convincing the publicity-shy Senator Muir, but uncertainty surrounds almost every aspect. His voting record is insufficiently extensive to provide useful guidance as to his likely attitude, and he is yet to even make his official first speech as a senator.

The former timber mill worker was elected in 2013 on a tiny primary vote of 0.51 per cent. He shot to fame when a video emerged showing the senator throwing kangaroo faeces at friends. He also gained notoriety after a car crash interview on Seven's Sunday Night program.

His support would get the government within striking distance of success, potentially rescuing an unproductive end of the year for the Coalition, which has been stymied on some $28 billion of budget measures.

But getting to a majority of 39 votes still looks problematic, should a final vote take place this week. Education Minister Christopher Pyne needs six of the eight crossbenchers but has not secured the backing of senators Jacqui Lambie, Nick Xenophon, Dio Wang and Glenn Lazarus.

Others such as Victoria's John Madigan have come on board, joining senators David Leyonhjelm and Bob Day.

Senator Lambie has left no doubt as to her attitude, aggressively describing the reforms as class warfare aimed at disenfranchising working class kids to further advantage the privileged.

"I believe his [Senator Muir's] vote will be critical in order to defeat this radical plan to increase the cost of university degrees," she told the Senate on Monday night.

"I ask that before he votes, Ricky consider the tens of thousands of children who come from working class backgrounds who will never be given the opportunity to better themselves and improve their lot in life through a university education because the Liberals' costs will scare them and stop them ever dreaming of a university degree.

"This legislation is deliberately designed to keep working class people in their place."

The outspoken Tasmanian was also highly critical of Mr Pyne for attempting to drive the reforms through the Senate this week.

She likened him to a "dodgy used car salesman from Western Sydney" trying to flog "a lemon".

The government cannot say when it will bring the bill to a vote because it has been blind-sided in the Senate by Labor tactics.

Meanwhile, Senator Leyonhjelm has lashed out at the government for its poor handling of the crossbench senators.

He said relationship building occurred only when the government wanted their votes.

The senator said Labor was much better at it, suggesting if the ALP was in power, he would have "probably two or three best friends" by now who would have made it their business to get to know him and would be familiar with what he wanted to get done.

"They're like teenage kids," he said of the Coalition leadership in the Senate. "They only contact you when they want some money or [to] borrow the car".

http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/how-senator-ricky-muir-could-save-or-sink-the-abbott-governments-final-sitting-week-of-2014-20141202-11yaow.html

[Franco Cozzo]

If Ricky Muir agrees to deregulate university fees he is a traitor to the working class.

[Davehoos]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

If Ricky Muir agrees to deregulate university fees he is a traitor to the working class.

What you are thinking is that there is no place for the working class to have an opinion or wish to advance Australia and that the 85% without an university degree should not be allowed to progress past -unable to find relative profession that currently needs a degree.

I watched and applauded as the ABC showed ricky doing important stuff that they didn't agree with.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Davehoos

What you are thinking is that there is no place for the working class to have an opinion or wish to advance Australia and that the 85% without an university degree should not be allowed to progress past -unable to find relative profession that currently needs a degree.

I watched and applauded as the ABC showed ricky doing important stuff that they didn't agree with.

What I mean is that higher education should be within reach of the every day person, with hecs, the average $30K university degree is reasonable.

If you deregulate the university fees and they go to $100K+, that is crapping on the working class, trying to keep further education to the elite.

If they deregulated the fees I'd be out on the street, like I've done previously, blocking Swanston Street and Bourke Street in Melbourne CBD with the other few thousand people who where there with me, yelling and holding signs out front of Parliament house.

[dead_man00124]

Agreed,

[max_torq]

here he is at a car show, today.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/fede...02-11yaow.html

[cheap]

Ricky refuses to answer questions
Ricky's minders call the coppers so as to ask the journalists to leave him alone
Ricky has no difficulty taking home his weekly pay check

[Jason[98.EL]]

the sooner he steps away from the p.u.p the better I think he needs to be independent now then he can make his own choices

[superyob]

While jpblue1000 and loudpipes make a fair point about the need for educated people such as doctors and engineers and others, in this current debate about university fees, those points represent one point of view (which is still valid). Another side of the argument is the point of view that I and many others see. Not every university graduate will become a positive contributor to Australian society, or even graduate at all, leaving the taxpayer out of pocket yet again. I find it vulgar that tax payer funds are supporting rude, ungrateful, screeching, self-entitled, foul mouthed, ill-mannered socialists who wish to destroy the fabric of society with their objectionable minority ideas and marches and politically motivated thuggery, dressed up as activism. If the prices of university fees are increased so as to make it unaffordable to these morons, then I think that is a saving overall…

Maybe Ricky Muir has this point of view as well or is just being told which way he has to vote. Either way it's better for Australia.

[LoudPipes]

Everybody should be educated.

This allows the population to form its own opinions instead of being led by others.

This is the fundamental reason a dictatorship will execute and imprison all the educated and academics first, so there is far less dissentience in the population.

It was different when I went to Uni but with my children, most of their friends who were earthy

Originally Posted by superyob

rude, ungrateful, screeching, self-entitled, foul mouthed, ill-mannered socialists who wish to destroy the fabric of society with their objectionable minority ideas and marches and politically motivated thuggery, dressed up as activism

came from well to do families.

Families that will still be able to afford to send their activist children to University along with the financial competing international students.

Once they grow out of their trendy activism they generally fall into line with the thinking of their parents, become the new political and business leaders and continue the control of the less educated.


Education for all is what balances community thinking and helps keep society honest.

[cheap]

Everyone is now educated. Kindergarten to high school.

The issue I see is the great numbers of people who further their education with the view that a job commensurate to their perceived greatness awaits them.

In reality what's been created is industrial scale hubris.

[LoudPipes]

Originally Posted by cheap

Everyone is now educated. Kindergarten to high school.

The issue I see is the great numbers of people who further their education with the view that a job commensurate to their perceived greatness awaits them.

In reality what's been created is industrial scale hubris.

Australian schools do not offer a high enough education standard for Australia to compete with the rest of the 1st world.

To make it harder for Australians to obtain further education is to allow Australia to slip behind.

Australia has already lost the ability to compete at a manufacturing level, are we to fall behind as a technical one as well.

Sure further education isn’t for everyone but for those that have natural ability or a driven desire, education should be easily accessible.

Not just for those with deep pockets.

Universities supply many more degrees than Doctors and Lawyers, they produce professional managers, business people, scientists, mathematicians, skilled engineers of all vocations and the list goes on and on and on.

I can’t even fathom why anyone would want to disadvantage a big part of the population and put Australia’s knowledge base at risk.


The prerequisite for many positions is Tertiary education and there is a good reason for that, employers want to compete with the best they can get.

Without it they are also rans.

Think about that on the world stage.

My smart *** comment: Jacqui Lambie for Prime Minister.

[cheap]

Originally Posted by LoudPipes

Australian schools do not offer a high enough education standard for Australia to compete with the rest of the 1st world.

To make it harder for Australians to obtain further education is to allow Australia to slip behind.

Australia has already lost the ability to compete at a manufacturing level, are we to fall behind as a technical one as well.

Sure further education isn’t for everyone but for those that have natural ability or a driven desire, education should be easily accessible.

Not just for those with deep pockets.

Universities supply many more degrees than Doctors and Lawyers, they produce professional managers, business people, scientists, mathematicians, skilled engineers of all vocations and the list goes on and on and on.

I can’t even fathom why anyone would want to disadvantage a big part of the population and put Australia’s knowledge base at risk.


The prerequisite for many positions is Tertiary education and there is a good reason for that, employers want to compete with the best they can get.

Without it they are also rans.

Think about that on the world stage.

My smart *** comment: Jacqui Lambie for Prime Minister.

We have very high levels of education, what makes you think otherwise?

I would argue that we are better educated than Mexicans and Thai's but that hasn't stopped local manufacturing going offshore.

I would point out that since the notional "free university" there has never been more higher educated people in Australia, but according to you we're still going backwards.

I would argue that our education system is so good, that overseas people come here to learn and then take their new skills offshore to compete against us.

BTW, are you a representative of the teachers union, because you certainly sound like you're reading from their script. Note my wife is a teacher and I read her Union propaganda/newsletter regularly.

[superyob]

Originally Posted by cheap

Everyone is now educated. Kindergarten to high school.

The issue I see is the great numbers of people who further their education with the view that a job commensurate to their perceived greatness awaits them.

In reality what's been created is industrial scale hubris.

Another excellent point of view, in my opinion, that shows that there is more to consider than some banal notion of 'fairness'...

[dead_man00124]

But how would you separate the people trying to get ahead to the leechers?