Beaudesert Electorate Office

From: Aidan McLindon Sent: Monday, 25 January 2010 1:14 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected]; Jake Smith; [email protected]; Alex Douglas; Andrew Cripps; Andrew Powell; Bruce Flegg; David Gibson; ; Glen Elmes; Howard Hobbs; Ian Rickuss; Jack Dempsey; Jann Stuckey; ; Jeffrey Seeney; John-Paul Langbroek; ; Mark McArdle; Mark Robinson; ; Mike Horan; Peter Dowling; ; ; Rob Messenger; ; Rosemary Menkens; Scott Emerson; ; Steve Dickson; Ted Malone; Ted Sorensen; ; Tracy Davis; Vaughan Johnson Subject: Tuesday 2 Feb 2010 - LNP Pre-Parliament Workshop

Importance: High

G'Day Crew

I feel strongly about this and thought I feel it necessary to share my thoughts with y

This date was set aside for 1.) Tactics for 2010 and 2.) Preparing for the next state election.

From the entire agenda of a duration of 6 hours and 45 minutes I see Jake Smith doing a 30 minute presentation on political tactics for 2010 and I see a 30 minute session at 3:30pm for the elected members comments/suggestions.

This means, in terms of relevance to the outlined objectives, we have:

30 minutes on political tactics

53 seconds for each of the 34 members to contribute (this would mean we would go over time by 2 seconds because I rounded it up).

105 minutes for morning tea and lunch

ARE WE SERIOUS?

Let's look at the facts. 2009 saw the ALP have their worst year since they have been in government. 2009 saw the LNP have our best year since we've been in opposition.

It can only get better for the ALP from here. They know the political cycle, they have the resources, they constantly reinvent themselves, they keep winning the elections they should be losing. We have much to learn from our enemy!

We have a choice this year to keep doing what we've always done and work harder OR

We can adopt a new modus operandum and work smarter.

Do you think the Bronco's sit down and chinwag once a year and talk about how they are going to win the game and constantly knock their opposition OR would they bond together, hop on the field together, create their own focus, their own tactics, their own agenda, get to know each others strengths and weaknesses, refine their moves, become disciplined in their execution, have comradeship and look out for each other.

Crew, I have to be blatantly honest but we are not yet in the race. In my 5 years at Logan Council we had the annual "love-in" and "strategy and leadership" meetings which were absolutely fruitless because we were locked in a room for 1 or 2 days straight and talked to like a bunch of school kids. Why are we adopting the same approach in the big end of town?

We are all capable adults with immense potential and we have all individually worked tirelessly to get where we are to make our communities and the best place to live on earth. We have all made enormous sacrafices, put our personal lives on hold so we have obviously have the capacity to overcome the most challenging hurdles which has now brought us to the front line.

I stand by my suggestion from last years talkfest to create a day where 34 of us lock ourselves in a room - just the

1 elected reps , the people who have put their names on the line to fight for this state in the chamber . If that means everyone gets 30 minutes to let us know who they and what they are on about and present their vision for Queensland - LET'S DO IT.

I agree there is a time and place for third parties in the room, for shadow portfolio presentations, for other 'experienced' people to talk to and advise us but we simply do not have the basics right yet. We are trying to run before we have walked. We need to become a team where we actually have a bond, personally and professionally. Until we get this part right we will continue to drag ourselves around in quicksand.

I write this letter with good intent. I know we can do it together but I can see too many things going wrong. I have no secret political agenda or have any particular siding with anybody - yes, I'm a cleanskin - I was a member of both former parties and have been observing its coming together as the LNP since I first joined in 1996 and I don't want to lose what has taken us all so long to get to.

It is time we operate outside the square, orchestrate our own agenda and let the ALP chase us. Let the media come to us. Let Queenslanders want US governing Queensland. We need to show them that we really are the alternative bulletproof team.

Unless the agenda for 2 February is drastically amended, my time is better spent fortifying the seat of Beaudesert.

Even if we all sat around in a circle with duck tape on our mouths and threw a basketball to each other for 6 hours and 45 minutes we would achieve more because at least we would all be participating together as we'd have to keep our eye on the ball.

My thoughts.

Aidan

PS. Happy New Year and let's hope 2010 is a success!

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