… Zucco has resigned from the Liberal Party in disgust that Hodgman is acting so hypocritically over the Archer affair.
He thinks Sue Hickey — who would have been a superb Liberal candidate had she not been forced to stand down over conflicting business interests — has been sacrificed on the altar of Archer’s political ambitions.
In sending his written resignation to Hodgman, Zucco has attacked not only the Liberal leader but much of the Tasmanian Liberal Party “inner circle” clique of powerbrokers and favoured sons and daughters.
He believes there is no teamwork in the Liberal party, that it is riven by rifts and divisions, and that Hodgman is a weak leader being manipulated by more powerful Liberal figures such as Senator and shadow minister Eric Abetz.
As thought these claims were not damaging enough to the Liberals, Zucco also attached a six-page document to his resignation letter to Will Hodgman, entitled “Bad Taste”.
“Intimidation and favouritism in the Liberal Party is rife and if you are not in the inner camp, forget about it,” Zucco claims in his Bad Taste document.
“I have been contacted by a number of current and high-profile candidates who have been subjected to party unfairness and understand why many talented people choose not to enter the political arena.
“The [Labor Party] should be where the cut-throat politics should be aimed at; not at your team mates. [Nowhere else in business, local government or sport] have I experienced this sort of childish behaviour.”
Zucco — no stranger to how to create a big political bang — also emailed his resignation letter and the attached Bad Taste document directly to Premier David Bartlett and the Mercury.
Bartlett’s office was apparently so delighted to be sent such a hot piece of evidence of internal Liberal rifts that by late Wednesday night it was emailed widely to most members of the Labor Party in Tasmania.
Just as revealing was the Liberal Party’s response to Zucco’s claims. It immediately attacked Zucco, claiming he had a bad attack of “sour grapes” because he had not been endorsed by the Liberal Party to become a pre-selected candidate in Denison in October last year.
It claimed Zucco was embittered, aggrieved and driven by self-interest. “What Marti really wanted was for Will to kick out Elise Archer and for himself to be parachuted into the Denison spot,” one Liberal decision-maker said.
The Liberals also alleged Zucco’s resignation from the Liberal Party was meaningless because he was not a financial member. In fact, as Zucco proved late on Thursday, his $70 cheque for 2009-10 membership fees had been cashed by the Liberal Party on September 10 last year.
None of the events of the past two weeks have been edifying for the Liberal Party in Tasmania.
Just as it has been trying to defend itself from claims that it is split, divided, and dominated by behind-the-scenes right-wing powerbrokers who are favouring ultra-conservative candidates such as Archer, Michael Ferguson in Bass and Jacquie Petrusma in Franklin, comes the Taste stoush.
As soon as its is publicised, out tumbles a further incident of a vicious anonymous email being sent — apparently written by Liberal insiders — to delightful Huon Valley Liberal candidate and grandmother Jillian Law.
It should also be remembered that the current travails of the Liberal Party are not a result of any Labor muck-raking and stirring.
At every turn, it has been Liberals such as Elise Archer and Marti Zucco who have been shooting themselves and their own political party in the foot.
Aided by a complete lack of self-discipline by some candidates who are clearly finding the dog-eat-dog approach of the Hare-Clark system — where multiple Liberal candidates vie against each other for a small number of available seats — too much to handle.
All this has not been helped by party tacticians who have decided that if Will Hodgman sits quietly by and does not say too much, he will be elected as premier come March 20, Kevin Rudd-style.
The damage to the Liberals and Will Hodgman caused by the events of the past fortnight will be hard to know until the next opinion polls come out in February.
