Showing posts with label elections 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label elections 2011. Show all posts

Friday 25 March 2016

Liberal Party of Australia: when faced with corruption allegations first ignore, then deny, defy and threaten - ending all with weasel words


The Liberal Party of Australia was warned, the Liberal Party ignored, the Liberal Party denied, defied and then told political lies to the electorate…..

The general warning that went out


The NSW Electoral Commission will take enforcement action against 14 entities and individuals that have missed the deadline or entirely failed to disclose political donations they received between 1 July 2014 and 1 March 2015.

The NSW Electoral Commission received 411 declarations on behalf of parties, elected members, candidates, groups and third-party campaigners for the Additional Disclosure Period in the lead-up to the 28 March State Election.

Out of the entities and individuals required to lodge a declaration, five have failed to lodge and 11 lodged a declaration after the due date, making a total of 16 contraventions.
"The Commission takes seriously the rules on disclosing political donations and will be taking enforcement action against 14 entities and individuals that, on the information known to the Commission, have broken the law," said NSW Electoral Commission Chairperson, Hon Keith Mason AC QC.

"We have issued Penalty Notices and Cautions according to the seriousness of the contravention and will also be considering a prosecution in one case."

The declarations that have been lodged are a matter of public record and are published on the NSW Electoral Commission website at: http://adp.elections.nsw.gov.au/

The declarations must disclose political donations of $1,000 or more received between 1 July 2014 and 1 March 2015. If no donations were received, declarations should have been lodged to that effect.

This additional requirement on parties and candidates applied only to the 2015 State Election and was introduced in accordance with the interim recommendations of the Panel of Experts on Political Donations.

The Panel has since delivered its final report which has proposed long term reform options on political donations.

For more information about disclosure of political donations generally or the State Elections to be held on 28 March 2015, visit the NSWEC website at http://www.elections.nsw.gov.au


Forming a new Commission

The year saw significant structural change, following implementation of a 2013 recommendation of the Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters. The Committee found that our electoral legislation required a comprehensive review with a focus on consistency, functionality and modernisation. The Committee recommended a new electoral Act for NSW that would cover both the conduct of State elections and the regulation of campaign fi nance and disclosures, and that the new Act be administered by a single statutory corporation.

Consequently, legislative change during the year reconstituted the Commission so that it consists of the Electoral Commissioner, a former Judge as Chairperson of the Commission and a member with financial or audit skills, instead of it being constituted only by the Electoral Commissioner. The Election Funding Authority was abolished and its functions conferred on the reconstituted Commission. The new Commission is therefore responsible for administering the election funding, expenditure and disclosure scheme in NSW. The Commission’s role is also to provide “assistance” to the Electoral Commissioner in his statutory function of conducting elections.

Legislative change in 2014 also empowered the Commission to investigate and undertake enforcement actions for breaches against the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Act 1912 and the Lobbying of Government Officials Act 2011. This has moved our function from largely administrative to a greater focus on client services and regulation, with increased investigative and enforcement activities. We now have additional objectives of promoting campaign finance transparency and enforcing compliance with the legislation.

Ignoring evidence of the Commission’s resolve in the first instance


Mr Robert Smith, Registered Officer of the Fishing Party, was convicted on 13 July 2015, at the Downing Centre Local Court, of failure to lodge a declaration of disclosure of donations received and made and expenditure incurred pursuant to s.96H(1) of the Election Funding, Expenditure and Disclosures Act 1981 ("the Act").

Mr Smith was required to lodge a declaration with the NSW Electoral Commission, in the prescribed form, by 23 September 2013 and failed to do so. His Honour Local Court Magistrate Grogin emphasised, when sentencing Mr Smith, the importance of the transparency of political parties in relation to the declaration of political donations, regardless of the size or financial means of the political party. Grogin LCM also considered that general and specific deterrence are important considerations when sentencing for such an offence. Further, his Honour emphasised that ignorance of the law is no excuse in failing to comply with the requirements in the Act.

His Honour Grogin LCM convicted Mr Smith and ordered him to pay a fine of $2750, being the amount of the initial penalty notice issued by the NSW Electoral Commission, as well as awarding costs to the prosecutor of $5000.

The matter was investigated by the NSW Electoral Commission and prosecuted on its behalf by the Crown Solicitor's Office.

On 27 July 2015 the Commission was notified that Mr Smith has lodged an appeal of his conviction with the District Court. The matter is listed for mention on 23 September at the Sydney District Court.

"The Commission takes seriously the rules on disclosing political donations and expenditure and will take enforcement action against entities and individuals that, on the information known to the Commission, have broken the law," said NSW Electoral Commission Chairperson, Hon Keith Mason AC QC.

Ignoring its own predicament in the second instance, denying and defying

Excerpts from NSWEC, 23 March 2016 document: Final Summary of Facts – Decision re Liberal Party


20. On 1.1 February 203.6 the Acting Electoral Commissioner wrote on behalf of the Commission to the Party Agent of the Party, Mr MCInnes . The letter outlined the Commission's tentative concerns and invited submissions directed to the two legal issues mentioned above as well as the issue as to whether a final payment should be made under the Election Campaigns Fund in light of these matters.

21. The letter in reply from Mr MCInnes dated 18 February 2016 did not advance any response to the suggestion about the invalidity of The Free Enterprise Foundation "trust". The letter further asserted that the Party had and has no responsibility to disclose information relating to individual donors to the Foundation, a position that the Commission completely disputes. The invitation to remedy the deficient 201.1 declaration was firmly declined.

22. On 24 February 2016 the Commission considered whether the Party was eligible for public funding taking into account sections 70(I) and 97L(I) of the Act. The Commission was not at that stage satisfied that the Party was eligible, because the Party had failed to disclose reportable political donations for the period ending 30 June 2011.

23. Since public monies totalling $4,389,822.80 is at issue the Commission decided to give the Party a further opportunity to change its stance or satisfy the Commission that the Commission's tentative views were erroneous. A letter was sent to Mr MCInnes on 26 February 2016 enclosing a draft Summary of Facts document and inviting the Party's response.

24. On 18 March 2016, Swaab Attorneys forwarded the Party's response. None of the Summary of Facts were disputed,

25. The Party's response contended that a declaration in requisite form had been lodged and that its adequacy in terms of detail was irrelevant to the decision confronting the Commission under sections 7011) and 97L(I),

26. The Commission rejects this submission for the reasons already set out. Neither does the Commission accept the submission that the amount that must be withheld cannot exceed the total of unlawful donations involved. For one thing, this ignores the matters set out in paragraphs 2 and 3 above. On 23 March 2016 SWAAB Attorneys sent a further letter on behalf of the Party urging the Commission to release all but $693,000 of the funding claimed. After careful consideration the Commission believes it does not have discretion in this matter having regard to the terms of sections 70(I) and 97(I) of the Act.

Full 5-page document here.

A response to that defiant stand


The NSW Electoral Commission has decided that the Liberal Party of Australia (NSW Division) is not eligible for payment of its current claims for about $4.4 million in public funding because it failed to disclose the identities of all major political donors in its 2011 declaration.

Effective 23 March 2016, the Liberal Party will not receive further funding from the Election Campaigns Fund or the Administration Fund, administered by the Commission. The Party will remain ineligible until it discloses all reportable political donations in relation 10 its 201I declaration. These donations include some made by donors identified during the ICAC's public hearings in Operation Spicer.

The Liberal Party did not submit a "requisite declaration", which is a breach of the Election Funding,  Expenditure and  Disclosures Act 1981.

The Commission considered the public evidence generated by ICAC's Operation Spicer and other information held by the Commission and information and submissions put forward on behalf of the Liberal Party and The Free Enterprise Foundation. Since I I February 2016, the Liberal Party was given opportunities to rectify its declaration but  it declined to do so.

Copy of full document and related correspondence here.

Threats of legal action

Excerpt from SWAAB Attorneys letter to NSWEC, 23 March 2016:

As is clear from the Response attached to our letter of t 8 March 2016, our client denies that it has in any way given an incorrect disclosure for the year ended 30 June 2011. Nevertheless, at paragraph 12 of our response, we suggested that at the very least the NSWEC should release the Funding, but withhold $693,000 pending resolution of the matters in issue concerning the donations from the FEF (Balance Funding).

Provision of the Funding, or the Balance Funding, is of critical importance to our client. We are instructed that our client requires the Funding or the Balance Funding in order to continue its operations. If the Balance Funding is not received by 30 April20,6 our client will be forced to take emergency measures, the most likely of which will be forced retrenchment of staff. Even then, retrenchment of staff will only allow it to carry on its operations for a relatively short period of time thereafter.

You are also aware that there will be a federal election this year, perhaps as early as 2 July 2006, placing further pressure on our client's financial position, and our client requires provision of the Funding or the Balance Funding as a matter of urgency.

We require that the NSWEC pay to our client the Balance Funding by 30 March 2016.

If this request is not met, our client has no choice but to apply to the Supreme Court of New South Wales for urgent relief that, inter alia, the monies be paid to our client without further delay.

This is an open letter and will be tendered on any application made to the Supreme Court, including on the question of costs.

Liberal Senator for NSW and Cabinet Secretary (Turnbull Government) Arthur Sinodinos1, 24 March 2016: Statement - NSW Electoral Commission

It is a matter for the NSW State Division to respond to the matters raised by the NSW Electoral Commission in its statement.

I had no role in the NSW Division’s decision to decline to update information disclosed in that declaration, as was requested by the Commission.

For my part, my lawyers have written to the Commission to draw its attention to errors of fact in its statement in relation to me. I was not given the opportunity by the Commission to comment on its statement before its publication and I was not aware of the publication until shortly prior to its release.

The Statement already has been extensively cited by the media. In a number of instances, there has been erroneous commentary to the effect that I “concealed” illegal donations, and that my actions were somehow corrupt or illegal. That media commentary is a direct consequence of the NSW Electoral Commission’s flawed publication.

In light of these matters, my lawyers on my behalf have invited the Commission to immediately retract all references to me in the publication. The Commission has been invited to publish a correction to that effect on its website.

Those weasel words in the media

The Australian, 24 March 2016:

The party's NSW division says it had been waiting for the state's corruption watchdog to hand down its findings from hearings in 2014, but will comply with the commission's ruling.

"I have written to the commission this afternoon seeking their assistance in resolving any areas of uncertainty about the legal status of donors in the 2010/2011 period," a spokeswoman said in a statement on Thursday evening.

"The NSW division has already publicly acknowledged and apologised to the people of NSW for these matters."

1. Senator Sinodinos was the Liberal Party (NSW Division) finance director and treasurer during the period in question. His name was mentioned twice in the Summary Of Facts Relevant To The Decision Of The New South Wales Electoral Commission: Liberal Party Of Australia (NSW Division) Claim For Public Funding. In both instances the mention was confined to words to the effect that evidence was given at ICAC hearings of the involvement of other senior Liberal Party officials constituting the Party's Finance Committee in arrangements touching the Free Enterprise Foundation, including Arthur Sinodinos as then Finance Director/Treasurer.

BACKGROUND

North Coast Voices,19 September 2014:

So what is this Free Enterprise Foundation of which they speak?


According to evidence before the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) and other sources, the Free Enterprise Foundation:

* Is listed by the Australian Electoral Commission as an associated entity of the federal divisions of the Liberal Party of Australia and the National Party of Australia.

* Was created by deed on 20 August 1981 as a $10 trust at the direction of Sir Robert Crichton-Brown, federal treasurer of the Liberal Party of Australia from 1973 to 1985.

* Has set out its objectives in the trust deed are as follows:
 * Original trustees were Anthony Joseph Bandle and Charles James Fox who comprised the trust’s original Council. The current trustees are Anthony Bandle and Stephen Francis McAneney.  Both of whom were also trustees of the Greenfields Foundation, an associated entity which was allegedly set up to hide from public view a 1992 $4.7 million political donation to the Liberal Party.
* Accountants are Bandle McAneney & Company.

*  Name was registered with the Australian Security & Investments Commission as a business name in 2012.

* Receives political donations which the trust directs onto the Liberal Party of Australia, the Liberal National Party of Queensland, other associated entities of the Liberal Party and, infrequently to registered charities.

In practice the Free Enterprise Foundation does not appear to fulfil all the prescribed purposes set out in the trust document, does not seem to operate independently of the Liberal Party of Australia and, has accepted political donations from prohibited donors in New South Wales which it redirected to the Liberal Party of Australia (NSW Division).

Rather disingenuously former NSW Deputy State Director of the Liberal Party and former Metgasco Limited executive, Richard Shields, stated during a 12 September 2014 ICAC Operation Spicer hearing in relation to the Free Enterprise Foundation, which had donated approximately $700,000 to the Liberal Party to fund its 2011 NSW election campaign:

I knew that it existed, I, I didn’t have a lot, a great understanding of it. I had heard, you know, I, I was of the opinion that it was an organisation that had political or philosophical 
allegiances with the conservative side of politics. 

Wednesday 19 October 2011

Clarence By-election: weeping with laughter in the first week of the unofficial election campaign


When I first read the health funding claims of Nationals candidate Chris Gulaptis I was frankly sceptical, given his past record of saying any old thing to support his position.

I searched the Internet until I found a copy of the agreement between the Commonwealth and the NSW Government concerning Grafton Base Hospital.
I also hunted cyberspace for any evidence that his predecessor had ever made the same claim.

Result – Gulaptis was incorrect in claiming either the NSW Nationals or the O'Farrell Government had supplied the entire amount of this funding or that Steve Cansdell had made a statement to that effect. Nor are his assertions concerning Maclean District Hospital correct.

When the media first queried the Gulaptis claim this is what he said:

"The $9 million is in relation to the orthopaedic ward and imaging expansion.

So it was to the accompaniment of helpless laughter that I read this article in The Daily Examiner today, in which he ends with an outright misrepresentation of his original statements and a bald untruth about the funding process, as well as omitting to mention the fact that the Commonwealth has already begun scheduled funding payments:


THE Nationals candidate for the Clarence by-election, Chris Gulaptis, has been caught out with claims the State Government has stumped up $9 million for Grafton Base Hospital says an opponent.
Following his preselection on Sunday, Mr Gulaptis included a figure of $9 million for Grafton Base Hospital among "hundreds of millions of dollars" the Nationals had directed toward the Valley since the March State election.
The chairman of the hospital Medical Staff Council, Allan Tyson, questioned the claim on Monday and yesterday the Country Labor candidate Peter Ellem accused Mr Gulaptis of "overstretching" with the claim.
"Mr Gulaptis, either through ignorance or incompetence, is inappropriately claiming credit for Grafton Base Hospital funding provided by the Commonwealth and former State Labor governments last year," Mr Ellem said.
"I'm calling on Mr Gulaptis to provide the budget details of his claim - where is the $9 million for Grafton Base Hospital?
"If it is the same $6 million from the Commonwealth and the $4 million announced by the former Labor State government, Mr Gulaptis should apologise for misleading the local community.
The claim has also angered Federal Member for Page Janelle Saffin, who worked hard to make sure the money came to the hospital during the 2010 Federal election campaign.
"I'm furious that someone can try and take credit for something they had nothing to do with," Ms Saffin said.
"What he's saying is wrong in fact and wrong in any sort of insinuation.
"And to attempt to blame Steve (Cansdell) left me speechless.
"I never saw any such release and I know Steve never tried to claim anything like this. He always said it was a good thing the hospital got that funding."
Mr Gulaptis defended his assertion yesterday, and upped it by $1 million.
"Over the course of the weekend I referred to the $10 million allocated to Grafton Hospital - one of many projects in the Clarence Electorate to receive funding in the 2011 State budget papers," Mr Gulaptis said in a prepared release.
"The NSW Government budget papers for the Liberal and Nationals' first State budget are clear and in black and white.
"There is a total of $10 million in COAG funding for Grafton Base Hospital, consisting of $4 million from the State Government and $6 million from the Federal Government.
"This is being delivered. It is not a promise from a former minister, nor an undertaking from a senior departmental officer but a hard-line item with funding from both the Federal and State governments to improve health infrastructure for the people of Clarence.
"Many State Labor health promises over the years were never delivered. The Nationals have actually handed down the funding for this project."

Writs for the Clarence By-election will not be issued until 28 October and candidate nominations only open on the same day. The NSW Nationals still have time to change their minds and rectify their biggest mistake this year.

Saturday 24 September 2011

Early nominations in Clarence by-election


Inspired by those locals who are in various stages of sheer disbelief or rolling hysteria at the thought of two state elections in one year in the Clarence electorate........


Jules notes the Nationals conga line beginning to develop in Clarence by-election 2011

Jules Faber in The Daily Examiner on 21 September 2011

Monday 28 March 2011

Confusion tweets on the road to democratic disaster



Saw these odd tweets on polling day and we had to share what has to have been an alternate twitterverse at #auspol where voting was something of a mystery to a few.

^ mfarnsworth: "Who gets my vote if I leave it blank?" asks a website visitor just now. #nswvotes #auspol

^ LittleWombat666: @RonnyB_621 He’s called me a slut etc for hours at a time in here and posted porn saying it was me, maybe he likes you more?? #auspol #qt

^ aj2: @GreenScareBot I drive real slow in the ultra fast lane too #auspol

^ GavAtkins: Sick and tired of waiting for Keneally to concede. #nswvotes #auspol (posted over 3 hours before the polls closed)

Anony-mice

Yamba

* GuestSpeak is a feature of North Coast Voices allowing Northern Rivers residents to make satirical or serious comment on issues that concern them. Posts of 250-300 words or less can be submitted to ncvguestspeak AT gmail.com.au for consideration.

Sunday 27 March 2011

When the bells tolled at midnight.......


…..the NSW Electoral Commission Virtual Tally Room ballot count in the NSW state election stood at:

Legislative Assembly (Lower House)

Labor 19

Liberal/Nationals 59

Other 2

Undecided 13

Legislative Council (Upper House)

First Preference Group Votes

Group

Group/Party Name

Election Night

Declaration

Total

%

Quota
Ratio

A

LIBERAL/NATIONALS

1,360,217

1,360,217

48.09

9.69

B

NO PARKING METERS PARTY

32,311

32,311

1.14

0.23

C

32,554

32,554

1.15

0.23

D

OUTDOOR RECREATION PARTY

20,346

20,346

0.72

0.14

E

SAVE OUR STATE

9,173

9,173

0.32

0.07

F

CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY (FRED NILE GROUP)

88,423

88,423

3.13

0.63

G

FAMILY FIRST

39,722

39,722

1.40

0.28

H

LABOR/COUNTRY LABOR

691,062

691,062

24.43

4.92

I

THE GREENS

315,112

315,112

11.14

2.24

J

51,515

51,515

1.82

0.37

K

SOCIALIST ALLIANCE

7,026

7,026

0.25

0.05

L

AUSTRALIAN DEMOCRATS

22,347

22,347

0.79

0.16

M

BUILDING AUSTRALIA

6,183

6,183

0.22

0.04

N

RESTORE THE WORKERS' RIGHTS PARTY

11,623

11,623

0.41

0.08

O

THE FISHING PARTY

36,632

36,632

1.29

0.26

P

SHOOTERS AND FISHERS

104,499

104,499

3.69

0.74

Total Formal Votes

2,828,745

0

2,828,745

Other (including informal)

137,850

137,850

Blank Votes

127,105

127,105

Total Votes

3,093,700

0

3,093,700

On the NSW North Coast the National Party of Australia retains all five electorates – Ballina, Lismore, Tweed, Clarence, and Coffs Harbour.

Antony Green at ABC Online NSW Votes 2011 has this graphic:

Click on image to enlarge

Saturday 26 March 2011

NSW Votes 2011 - links to live election news, polling updates, analysis*


A few links for those political tragics roaming cyberspace today:

702 ABC Sydney and ABC NewsRadio will combine for a live radio simulcast from 6pm (AEDT) - coverage until 10pm.
702 ABC Sydney will also have audio streaming via
abc.net.au/sydney and will broadcast live to ABC Local Radio across regional NSW and to 1233 ABC Newcastle.
2UE Radio Online NSW Election 2011 – coverage from 6pm

Earth Hour 2011 - a bit of trial for many in New South Wales?



Earth Hour falls on 26th March 2011 - tomorrow.
It falls slap in the middle of radio and television coverage of the NSW general election which is expected to give government to the Liberal-Nationals Coalition for the first time since March 1995.
Bet a few extra Nue Sou Welshie homes won't be switching off at 8.30pm - unless it's in disgust at the polling figures.
Because we're all set to get a state government which has thrown in its lot with that arch-on-again-off-again climate change sceptic, Federal Coalition Leader Tony 'I've never met a right-wing extremist I didn't like' Abbott.
Somehow I don't think dousing the lights is going to help us.

Friday 25 March 2011

NSW Votes 2011 - links to live election news, polling updates, analysis


A few links for those political tragics roaming cyberspace today:

702 ABC Sydney and ABC NewsRadio will combine for a live radio simulcast from 6pm (AEDT) - coverage until 10pm.
702 ABC Sydney will also have audio streaming via
abc.net.au/sydney and will broadcast live to ABC Local Radio across regional NSW and to 1233 ABC Newcastle.
2UE Radio Online NSW Election 2011 – coverage from 6pm

Earth Hour 2011 - a hard choice for many in New South Wales



Earth Hour falls on 26th March 2011 - tomorrow.
It falls slap in the middle of radio and television coverage of the NSW general election which is expected to give government to the Liberal-Nationals Coalition for the first time since March 1995.
Bet a few extra Nue Sou Welshie homes won't be switching off at 8.30pm - unless it's in disgust at the polling figures.
Because we're all set to get a state government which has thrown in its lot with that arch-on-again-off-again climate change sceptic, Federal Coalition Leader Tony 'I've never met a right-wing extremist I didn't like' Abbott.
Somehow I don't think dousing the lights is going to help us.

Election Eve NSW March 2011


I've made a meal of local election campaign adverts from all the major and some very minor political parties in the lead up to tomorrow's NSW state election and found that what I'm being served is a dismal choice between hopelessly inadequate sitting MPs and p*ss weak new or serial candidates across the political spectrum.
The only healthy response is........


Gif found at Glitter Graphics

Monday 21 March 2011

Giving The Greens a go......


…..’cause it will so p*ss orf  the conservative element on the NSW North Coast.




The Greens political advertising currently doing the rounds in an email.

Monday 14 March 2011

Wake me when the election is over



The March 2011 New South Wales state election seems to have been greeted with a massive yawn from voters on the North Coast and even the candidates are going through the motions absent of any real political verve.
One candidate for the seat of Clarence took ennui to its outer limit by nominating and then promptly disappearing from sight so successfully that even the
local meeja can’t winkled her out – take a bow Family First’s Kristen Bromell.
In Ballina it was the Labor candidate who didn’t front a meet-the-candidates event according to The Northern Star on 9th March – take your bow Toby Warnes.
Meanwhile in Coffs Harbour a general lack of enthusiasm on the part of The Greens produced a
no-show at the ballot draw – face the audience bend forward at the waist Rodney Degens.
Even letter writing voters can’t raise much ire against particular candidates and online comments don’t sparkle – although this one raised a grin because The Daily Examiner online moderator let
an accusation stand which invites readers to suspect one Independent candidate of improper conduct:



Click image to enlarge



In an election campaign conspicuously devoid of humour the most amusing incident so far was to read of one Nationals candidate for re-election likening himself to an alien character in a Hollywood movie, John Smith from the planet Lorien - come down to earth Steve Cansdell!
With the penalty for not voting in a state election standing at a measly $55, I think that the number of no-shows amongst voters could fast outstrip totals in past elections.

Wednesday 9 March 2011

What political hypocrites!


What a week I picked to return home.

Today Tony Windsor decides that the Gillard Government made a mistake in announcing its plan to introduce a carbon price. "In a blunt warning to the Government, Mr Windsor accuses it of making strategic mistakes in the timing of the tax announcement, "putting the cart before the horse" because of "pressure from the Greens", and says a key reason Australians appear to have baulked at the plan is because it is too vague." Hello? Isn’t Saint Tony on the multi-party committee which recommended a carbon price mechanism to the government, didn’t he agree to the announcement of same ("Mr Tony Windsor and Mr Robert Oakeshott, have agreed that the proposal should be released for community consultation"), attend the joint press conference and the next day release his own media blurb in support of this announcement? As today’s prime example of political hypocrisy this about face takes some beating.

Yesterday Pauline Hanson was sprung registering as an Upper House independent candidate on a group ticket in the March 2011 NSW state election. Aw, the luvvie of the far-right must be running out of pin money and needs to top up the bank account. After all this has worked for her in the past – 3 weeks minimum campaigning and maximum reimbursement as an unsuccessful candidate to the tune of $150,000. This latest tilt at campaigning (which sees Hanson change both her mind on “goodbye forever” and the state in which she lives) garners her the title of ĂĽber political hypocrite also.