Fed: Democrats have more divisions than a maths test

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Fed: Democrats have more divisions than a maths test

By Karen Polglaze

CANBERRA, Aug 25 AAP - The Australian Democrats have more divisions than a maths test.

Any chance the reconciliation favoured by interim leader Brian Greig will actuallyoccur is becoming remote.

A stream of Democrats made public statements today showing just how widely they diverge.

Reconciliation between the left and the right, the gang of four and the rest, the parliamentarywing and the national executive, and between the membership and the parliamentary group,looks almost impossible.

While no-one has stuck up a hand for the vacant party leadership, only former leaderNatasha Stott Despoja and Queensland senator John Cherry have ruled themselves out.

It would have to rate as one of the toughest jobs in Australian politics at the momentwith colleagues less trustworthy than opponents.

In a telling comment on the extent of the damage, Senator Greig said he had been unableto properly contact the Democrats executive in his own Western Australian division toconsult on whether to run for the leadership.

There had been extraordinary division and disruption back in WA, also home to dissidentDemocrats senator Andrew Murray, resulting in the state division becoming pretty muchdysfunctional, he said.

And a weekend of heavy phone work including repeated messages left with some partyroom colleagues had resulted in a bunch of unreturned calls from some.

He then accused senators of bullying and threatening over the past week, and said reportsfrom the national executive indicated grassroots members felt his elevation was vindicationfor Senator Stott Despoja.

Not very conciliatory statements.

Yet Senator Greig expects tomorrow's party room meeting, his first in the chair, tobe civil. They always are, he says.

The backstabbing is done in public, usually prominently in the media.

Senator Greig is one of the people Senator Murray describes as fundamentalist left.

The split among the parliamentary group is four: three in favour of a ten-point reformplan that triggered Senator Stott Despoja's resignation last week.

The so-called gang of four are the centre progressives, the ones the voters want accordingto Senator Murray.

He is obviously going to have a hard time reconciling with the party's national executivewhich he accuses of acting in an unprecedented and profoundly undemocratic manner in appointingSenator Greig interim leader over deputy leader Aden Ridgeway.

Queensland Senator John Cherry may not have too many problems making it up with StottDespoja ally Greig, unless the WA 36-year-old wins the leadership as Cherry thinks he'sa nice bloke but not the best choice.

But he might have a problem with the party's office-bearers who he says have abused his staff.

Senator Murray says the party is sliding towards a schism, senators Cherry and Greigsay it's too early to call.

Senator Greig says the gang of four is split and that Victorian senator Lyn Allisoncould play a reconciling role.

She wants to try mediation. Greig says he'll give it a go but thinks it probably won't work.

The chances of the gang of four moving out of the Democrats must be considered despiteSenator Cherry saying he loved the party and Senator Greig's warning they wouldn't lastanother election without it behind them.

Reconciliation looks impossible now. That deep a split would defy all efforts.

AAP kjp/sdh/br

KEYWORD: DEMOCRATS (AAP ANALYSIS)