If there was one thing that was remarkable about ParraFirst’s election win two years, was that we did it without resorting to dirty politics. While EGJ was spewing bile on Twitter and Parra4Eva were sending out election material aimed at discrediting our candidates, ParraFirst stayed true to its core principles. Professionalism, club first and progress.
It’s been suggested to me that our refusal to get involved in the mud-slinging cost us the football club election. Maybe it did. But those on the ParrFirst ticket were always of equal mind - start as you mean to finish. If you can’t campaign in a professional manner, how can members expect you will act with professionalism while you’re in the job.
You don’t have to look further than 3P to see where the other approach ends up. 3P came to power on the basis of a torrent of hate towards Denis Fitzgerald. The 3P campaign was clear - Denis is a bastard, let’s get rid of Denis. Now, if you vote “rebels” onto the board who have campaigned on that basis and then those directors proceed to act on the basis of self-interest and with scant regard to governance, why is any one surprised?
Under the toughest of circumstances, Steve Sharp’s board have completed their tenure in the same way that was campaigned - with professionalism and honesty. They have sought re-election on the basis of their achievements, which are considerable, not on the obvious inadequacies of rival ticket/s. Where they are copping criticism right now, it has been for daring to play by the rules. Myself, Fitzgerald, Ben Smith and Ray Price were all disallowed on the advice of lawyers and the returning officer. It gave those tickets a free ride to throw mud at the board but in every case (bar my own) the evidence is conclusive. The club knew there would be negative fallout, but it did what the rules demanded - there could be no other course of action.
Before Steve Sharp’s ticket took over, the club had a culture of taking short cuts; of doing what was easiest, not what was right. That had to stop. If the board acts in that way, you can be guaranteed you’ll see those same attitudes displayed on the field. There is no coincidence that as that culture took hold, we won two wooden spoons and only missed a third at the death. The culture that the club is now trying to build at all levels, is exactly the opposite - to put the club first, to not cut corners, work hard and do what is right. If you ever wondered why Sharpie fought so hard for Brad Arthur, it’s because they’re of like mind when it comes to those values.
So if you want to see what you will get if any kind of 2P/3P ticket takes hold of the club, you just have to look at the past 24 hours of club slandering, personal propaganda and histrionics. If people vote for those tickets, that’s what you’re voting for. If you have an issue with the board, please be aware that there are some quality independents who represent an alternative, but I sincerely fear for the future of our club if we are dragged back into the past. It is clear that none of the current executive team will be retained and the club will literally be back to square one.
Forum members are always the most educated of football fans - they live and breathe every rumour, point of view and they learn to see through the bullshit and the personal agendas. I urge all of you to use your influence with your mates, family and on social networks and help those fans who may just see things through the lens of being a passionate supporter, to understand what is really going on here.
This is a fork in the road for our club. I think the two possible directions are clear and could not be more different. This is one of those times, where every single one of us needs to do everything we can to make sure we travel down the right one.
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How much does a page in the Telegraph cost? We could hit all the uneducated in one fell swoop with this.
Top shelf blog Phil, agree with every word.
All of the great and successful people in history have three things in common. Honesty, they do not take short cuts and they do not speak ill of others. Steve Sharp is in this group and must be returned with all of his selected ticket members so he can get the job done. This is a bit like not having the numbers in the senate which makes it impossible to do anything. Only by voting for the entire Steve Sharp ticket will he truly be able to do the things necessary for success without interference and unrest. If you take the path of not gossiping and not taking shortcuts, those who find it impossible to behave that way will often hate and slander you. As Jack Gibson said "losers hate winners, they hate the sh1t out of them". Unfortunately social media gives people without these qualities the power to spew their venom and find like minded losers. It is creating an entire generation of gossiping people looking to tear down anyone who conducts themselves with dignity. They hate successful people who made it on honesty and integrity. They actually see honesty as a weakness and laugh and slander about it and will do anything to tear you down. Steve Sharp is the best thing to happen to Parramatta in 30 years but he needs all of his ticket elected to get the job done. Before Abraham Lincoln was elected President, he was in a meeting with some of the biggest politicians and businessmen of the day. Halfway through the meeting after a lot of gossiping and sniping, he stood up and said "I have never been in a room with such truly weak men" and then he promptly left. Slander/gossip = weak. Sharp is the ONLY choice
this needs to be read by all parra fans
Listen from 2:26:34
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