Rock star's trip from green to MP makes Labor members see red

[Khephra]

David Fickling in Sydney
Tuesday June 8, 2004
The Guardian

The former lead singer of one of Australia's most popular bands has been handed a safe seat by the opposition Labor party for the forthcoming parliamentary elections, a move which has infuriated some party members and sparked claims of political opportunism.
The offer to Peter Garrett, who was lead singer of Midnight Oil, has been denounced by some party officials.

Up to 1,000 members of the party are due to protest tonight about the decision to gift him the safe Labor seat of Kingsford Smith in the Sydney suburbs.

Pat Bastic, a Labor branch party president, told Australian Associated Press that, for all his virtues, Garrett was a long way from earning his spurs. "If you ask, with all due respects to him, Peter Garrett, what a loaf of bread costs, he couldn't tell you. We want people like our own, the ones that we will select," he said.

more..........

http://www.guardian.co.uk/australia/story/0,12070,1233628,00.html

[Fenris]

1. Midnight Oil was political? I had no idea!

:D:D:D:D

[americanstranger]

2. Check an album called '10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1....'

Contains their incredible song 'The Power and The Passion.'

They were very political, although it was extremely Aussie-centric.

I had the good fortune to see them at the old Ritz in NYC. Stood square in front of Garrett. Sweaty bastard.

The band rocked like a mofo.

-as

[Fenris]

3. I was, of course, kidding.

You'd have to be daft to think they were apolitical.

[belab13]

5. check out Red Sails in the Sunset and 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1

Garret always railed against RaYGun's policies.

[Lou_C]

4. Garett has a Law degree