I've been trying really hard not to go overboard on the political blogs and I hadn't planned to write anything except for a wrap-up just before the election but after this latest turn of events I just can't help myself.
So last night I received a phone call from one of the ParrFirst team, who said they had heard that Roy's "block" was now being told to support the 2P ticket. I laughed. No way in the world will any of those guys get behind Denis Fitzgerald and there's no way Denis Fitzgerald would make the necessary compromises to earn their support, I said.
So I was simply floored today when I saw the 2P video and Denis Fitzgerald making a clear pitch for the 3P vote and his promise to re-open past disciplinary hearings and possibly re-instating members and more importantly directors. I was literally stunned.
I've come across a lot of people in my life who don't like each other, but I've never seen any pair of people who dislike each other with the same level of passion and vitriol as Denis and Roy. Not only that, much of the support each of them respectively has, are from those who tend to share those views.
Let's remember, 3P did not form from Roy Spagnolo leading a charge on the basis of his own talents. 3P was a movement against Denis Fitzgerald, the massive financial loss he rung up, the domineering fashion in which he ran the club blocking the rights of people like Ray Price and his proclamation that he couldn't guarantee the future of the club.
On the flipside, I know that many of the people who support Denis were subsequently burned in the fallout from the 3P takeover, losing their jobs and basically feeling like they had been booted from a club that many of them had spent decades being a part of.
I can't imagine those from either of those two camps are delighted to watch Denis bending over for "past directors", signalling at the very least, a pitch for 3P support, but if the scuttlebutt is on the money, a coming together of sworn enemies.
Nobody can understand how tough the last two years have been for the ParraFirst directors. They've copped it from both sides for most of that time and they've had to make really difficult and confronting decisions. It would have been far easier to simply cut deals to pacify interested parties and believe me those deals have been on the table. However, if you're a board that is serious about governance and re-building a culture on not taking shortcuts you can't just ignore membership tampering, intimidation or OLGR findings. You can't just give people jobs because they helped you out somewhere along the way. You have to support your executives and staff to the hilt.
This latest revelation is the opposite of that. It's anything but standing by your principles or doing what is right. What this is, is a handful of blokes doing what's right for them personally. And that's it. If Denis Fitzgerald was thinking about the club he wouldn't have even contemplated standing for the PLC board while his administration was still under investigation by OLGR. And he certainly wouldn't essentially spit in the face of the regulator by suggesting he was prepared to reinstate those, who have at this stage, been found to have breached any number of governance breaches. Those kinds of behaviour is exactly what led to the formation of 3P in the first place.
I'm the first to admit I'm a bit naive when it comes to the whole block voting aspect of the election. I keep hearing people saying that those blocks coming together will trump the ParraFirst vote. I don't see how you vote for someone because someone else tells you to. I don't see how you vote for someone who has been your enemy for years out of political expediency. I don't get how you think you're going to have a functioning board, let alone a successful one when this is the basis of its formation.
I love my club and to me it's pretty simple. You put personalities aside, you put your own interests aside and you do what's right for the greater good. And blind freddy could tell you that right now, what this club craves is stability and the chance to actually carry through on a plan.
If you dance with the devil, then don't be surprised when the whole place goes to hell.
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Ok people, this is why everyone who is eligible needs to get down to the club this week and vote. Bloody hell the scruples of some of these people?
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The one thing I've learnt in my 40 years of life is that good guys more often than not come last.
2P, Dennis and co are showing how low and dirty they are. To beat these types you need to stoop to their level and that's something that good guys struggle with. I hope Sharp and co get up but don't under estimate the stupidity of voters in any election.
I've said it before and I will say it again the only way there will be peace at Parra is if some rich guy buys out the club. As Poppa said so eloquently last week, democracy doesn't work in clubs like Parra only benevolent dictatorships.
Frank my life experience has taught me differently. My life experience has taught me you reap what you sow. You don't always win the short-term but long-term doing the right thing and standing by your convictions earned you the respect and credibility to be sustainably successful. To put that into context here. Short-term loss was the original football club election but not stooping to dirty tactics then stood the ticket in good stead for the PLC election. I believe in the members, I believe they saw what was happening last time, and I think they'll see what is right again but they do just have to realise that it won't happen if apathy wins the day.
Funny thing is if you do stoop to the level of those you are competing with and you are a "nice" guy, then long term you suffer, either from self loathing / lack of self respect or the market lumps you in the same bucket of crap as the others.
I'm not too concerned mate. I'm not buying it.
Why would a 3P supporter vote for Denis? There's just no upside to it once the elections are over. Assuming a 2P Board, Denis re-instated as CEO there is just no way on earth Denis would re-instate anyone he didn't like. 3P aren't stupid, they know that they'll get no favours despite what Denis and co are promising now.
I sense that 2P are getting more and more desperate and 3P are no where to be seen.
This seems more likely.
Dont underestimate the spite some of these clowns have mutt, and dont underestimate how stupid a percentage of our fans are, the same guys that voted EGJ in will be voting for Riddell, i honestly have grave fears for the result, i have no doubt that Roys faction will be voting for Dennis's ticket.
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