Sue Brooks' Blog

Sue Brooks October 11th, 2009

ready to go

I have put my hand up to participate in the Tour De Bay. I have bought the bike and the helmet and have had a couple of very enjoyable practice rides locally. I’m am looking forward to next weekend when hopefully hundreds of us will take to the paths and roads to raise money for the Hervey Bay Community Centre.

The tour should be great fun and the cause is a very worthy one. I have chosen to ride just the 10 kms (start off carefully is my motto) and am looking forward to it. If you would like to join in the fun here is the web site

http://www.ourcommunitycentre.com.au/joomla/fundraising/bay-charity-bike-ride.html

I am going to try and raise some funds so if you would like to sponsor me drop me a line or call into Mind Games where Graham has the paperwork. The local Bicycle Users Group are assisting and the day will end with a fair and party at the Botanic Gardens. Should be a great day out! Now I just have to remember to use that left hand to stop and not back peddle….

On Friday I attended the UDIA luncheon where Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasle spoke. He is a vibrant, passionate and entertaining speaker and told us about his visions for Ipswich. While Paul spoke proudly about the value of growth and development he emphsised that ‘good development’ was essential and that his Council does not tolerate ‘bad’ development.

After the talk I asked Paul about the problems of focussing entirely on growth for Ipswich’s future. I asked what happens when you run out of land on which to build. Paul promptly replied that there is only room for 650k people in the Ipswich region and that is the capacity aimed for. I am going to further the discussion to discover how Paul plans to change the economic focus of the area post the development boom. He is quite assured that Ipswich can become a sustainable city.  He says after 650k people they would run out of jobs so I look forward to learning more about Ipswich future plans. I was very impressed with Paul and the energy and passion that he uses to drive his vision for Ipswich. I am sure staff at Ipswich Council have an interesting life working along side him.

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Sue Brooks September 24th, 2009

Great to read the story in the Chronicle today written by Stephen O’Grady after he spoke with me on Tuesday. After Peter Chapman wrote about this blog on Saturday I took up his invitation to call him. We had a short but informative and very cordial chat and Peter decided to ask Stephen to follow up on some of the issues that I had raised via this blog.

I thank Peter and Stephen for giving me the opportunity to be heard. My worries about how a conversation would turn out in print were unnecessary as Stephen has done a good job. Chronicle journalists have in the past, had a hard time being granted enough space to write very many ‘in depth’ news stories. I look forward to the new look Chronicle, under Peter’s leadership, devoting more space to a story or interview so that we the reading public, can learn more about a particular issue or person and receive both sides to any given issue.  In the national weekend papers I enjoy feature columns where a writer can take the time to develop a line of thought or give us a very detailed account of an issue. While I understand that space is more limited in a daily regional paper I hope we can somehow squash in the longer story.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the entire front page being devoted to a story about the eagles nesting at Urangan earlier this week. Now that front page story was a lovely way to start the day. Much more uplifting than the latest car crash or courthouse story. My only question now is …’What has happened to Quick Draw?” Whoever was the human behind these cartoons they added a very special something local to our daily news. I hope Quick Draw is having a holiday and will be back soon to enlighten us, irritate us or humour us via those skillfully rendered cartoons.

In relation to development issues the main point I was attempting to make is that Council has to decide a development application based on compliance with a set of rules and if these rules don’t provide the result we, as a community desire, then we should change the rules. And yes I truly wish that we had fewer ‘rules’ and where we have good rules that we have a better means of enforcing them.

(So while I think of rules…. to the guys continually fishing at Arkarra Lagoons we know you are doing it and it is against a Council rule. The lagoon is a no fishing area. Many residents are very annoyed that you are blatantly breaking the rules… Maybe a hefty fine will get the message across).

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Sue Brooks September 20th, 2009

Yesterday morning saw the very long convoy of mobility scooters take to the Esplanade pathway. I hope that we will finally make it into the Guinness Book of Records this year for the longest convoy. I always enjoy talking to people who join in and make these events special. No one complained about waiting for the Minister and the officialdom to arrive. The mood was buoyant and although I ran away without attending the finish line I’m sure the partying was every bit as joyful as was the start.

Today I popped down again to our foreshore and met all the very concerned and committed people trying to save the Fraser Island Dingo. I met Jennifer Parkhurst and Dingo Simon amongst others. I saw some of the photographs of what looks like a dingo with fatal gun shot wounds. I am very concerned that the dingo’s on Fraser Island are being mistreated and hope that the Minister Kate Jones takes the time to listen to some of the stories told by the people who actualy live or have lived on the island over the years. I believe the stories they tell me of a time when the dingo was an accepted part of island life and no one feared for their safety. I also believe that increased tourism has led to the conflict between human safety and dingo preservation. I believe with sensible conversations we can learn to co exist and that preserving the dingo means preserving their family structures and their environment and taking care when we enter their domain.

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Sue Brooks September 18th, 2009

Dear Peter, a very warm welcome to the Fraser Coast. Although I agree with you that not many people read this blog I’m glad that you take the time to peruse it. I enjoy the ability to communicate directly with the public and although my readership is very much less than that of the daily Chronicle it is wonderful to be able to express my thoughts freely and openly without being censored. It is also a great way to communicate directly with the community and I am glad that some people take the time to read and debate ‘online’.

I will be taking up your kind offer of ringing you directly and appreciate you giving out your phone number to enable people to contact you directly. I suppose I was feeling a bit cranky with you the other day however, as I personally emailed you over 2 weeks ago now on a non Council related matter and am still awaiting a response. I try very hard to respond to all the emails and calls I receive and although I am sure some people slip through the cracks from time to time the fact that I had not yet received a response from you regarding my email has made me feel a bit annoyed with you.

In the past I have emailed the Deputy Editor also on both Council related and non Council related issues and have also received nothing but the sounds of silence so maybe my emails are just totally boring and not worthy of a response. At least the Dep. Ed. has publicly stated that email is his very least preferred method of communication….. Many other Chronicle journalists do respond promptly to email communication and I wish to thank them as ignoring someone is really a good way to make someone feel powerless. I’m also aware of the difference in gaining newspaper inches as a means of personal self promotion rather than simply to educate or inform the community about Council related issues and try always to focus on the latter not the former.

I am glad Peter, that you want to learn more about Council so I look forward to seeing you at the odd Council meeting in the weeks to come. Some more extensive reporting of what occurs at Council meetings would be a great way to ensure the wider community gets to know more about Council and how it operates.

You and I have something in common as I also detest people making constant excuses for non performance and I very much detest bureaucratic red tape that ties everyone in knots. However much of the ‘red tape’ surrounding Council is foisted upon us by those above us. Maybe if we all work together we can make inroads in reducing the ever growing knots of red tape so I look forward to hearing about how best to do this.

I really do hope that you enjoy your time on the Fraser Coast and in particular Hervey Bay and that the Chronicle under your leadership, provides our community with balanced reporting that truthfully informs us all about the issues that impact on all of us. I abhor sensationalism. Now do you work Sat mornings for that phone chat and will you be responding to my earlier email or should I try again? See you soon, Sue

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Sue Brooks September 17th, 2009

While development is still taking pride of place within our daily newspaper the story is a measured and accurate description of the Mary Harbour proposal. Gone is the hysteria from the last couple of stories thank goodness. Cr O’Connell has been given enough space to provide a sensible report on his own and Councils collective efforts to assist and not hinder the redevelopment of the burned buildings in Maryborough. I thank Cr O’Connell for quickly responding to that story and for the Chronicle for reporting it.

As a resident who can’t break the habit of a life time which is to start my day with a walk down the drive way to collect my daily paper I look forward to balanced reporting which gives me both sides of a story. I also believe that if the media concentrates heavily on all the negative aspects of our society we all collectively tend to get a bit depressed and worry that our society is very inadequate and faulty. A good balance between the bad news and the good news is seen in the paper today and I appreciate that. While I want to know what is happening within my community I don’t want the court cases taking prominence. While I believe that publicly shaming our wrong doers is a very good deterrant I trust that we can read about our hard working community members doing good deeds in greater numbers than our wrong doers.

We are lucky to live in a great climate within a good community. There are many positive stories and I find inspiration and a lifting of my spirit when I hear about people overcoming challenges and getting on with life. I hope our media can find the right balance.

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Sue Brooks August 30th, 2009

Ranger Jay and the gang

This is Angel, she is being deseed next week. We think she is a Boston terrier/staffy cross. About 10 months old, very good with kids, and people, but boisterous.

This is BESSIE, she is about 5-7 years old and border collie X, very friendly, but would rather be one on one dog. Needs company. The only thing she doesnt do well is walk on a lead (she's good without lead, doesnt wander etc)

This is Billie, beautiful dog – male approx 10-12 months old. English German pointer

If you know someone who needs a canine companion do drop me a line.

Lastly Graham and I now own two new puppies. Years and years ago when I first saw a Papillon dog I fell in love with it. So what was I to do when I saw 2 female Papillon Maltese cross puppies advertised locally! You guessed it… We figured the two would keep each other company and this is proving to be the case. It will be easier to leave them when needed as they have each other for companionship.

Ellie

Ellie and yet to be named..!

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Sue Brooks May 18th, 2009

This week Council will decide the model it prefers to take our water entities into the future. The report to Council is available online via the Council web site and includes a recommendation to adopt the Corporate model. There is comment also on the submissions that Council received during the Public Benefit Assessment process. I expect that once the decision is made on Wednesday, that the hard work will really begin as no matter the outcome, there will still be a period of upheaval and adjustment for hard working staff. I personally hope that we can move forward quickly and with as least ‘pain’ as possible.

Last week I attended the Coastal Conference on the Gold Coast. I heard many good presentations but not many solutions I’m afraid. It does seem that  expected sea level rise is a problem that is sitting in the ‘too hard’ basket still. I think we need to take the stand that our treed and green foreshore and our public beaches are as important asset to our community as is the Esplanade etc. It seems to me that the State Government is presently more inclined to protect a hard concrete asset than a green, growing one!

Then on Saturday morning we snorkelled off Round Island from the Krystal Klear boat. We all were glad we had our wetsuits but the sea was clear, skies blue and it was quiet and calm. I swam with a big ‘toad fish’ and took quite a few pics. These can be viewed on my Facebook site. This was our ‘hands on’ lesson to ready us for our actual monitoring of our coral which we will commence shortly. Thanks to Carol, Murray, Amanda and Maria for their help. (I recommend a Krystal Klear trip to all of you).

On Sunday I was lucky to attend a full day ‘Native Stingless Bee’ workshop at Aldershot. This was facilitated by the Healthy Habitats programme and we were all shown hives being split and how honey is extracted. Our able presenter was Tim Heard from sugarbag honey. He was very knowledgeable and informative. I got to take home a hive which I had ordered several months prior. This morning I was worried that no bees were venturing out so was relieved when I got home to find them busily to-ing and fro-ing! Graham and I are now proud parents of our own stingless native bee hive.

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Sue Brooks April 13th, 2009

A very full agenda was before Council last week. First up were 3 decisions to assess applications under the Hervey Bay Superseded Planning Sceme. These applications consisted of 1×105 lots for Doolong Rd, 1×53 lots in Pantlins Lane and 1×254 lots in Doolong Sth rd. Total 412 lots. These app’s will be assessed under the Superseded (old) Planning Scheme. Next was a 6 storey Esplanade development for 39 Units at Scarness on the land where Sprake is. This was approved with me being the only dissenter due to my belief that setbacks are not being interpreted within the Planning Scheme correctly. As a result of this I asked during General Business that Council be advised of clear interpretations in relation to the tables and definitions within our Planning Scheme. The main point needing clarification is in relation to recession planes and whether we assess a 6 storey building as a whole building or each storey individually. Hard to explain but I suppose it means do we want more buildings set back from the boundary like the Whitecrest and Riviera buildings are, or do we want the bottom or lower storeys set closer to the boundary and the building to recede as it gets taller! To my mind it relates to how much open space we want on the site itself and how ‘in your face’ you want buildings to appear as you walk and drive around. Do let me know what you think please?

Then we had a very interesting debate about a retail development proposal for 109 Boat Harbour Drive on the vacant land adjacent Fraser Shores Shopping Centre that goes through to Beach Rd. The application was recommended refusal by staff, mainly due to the inclusion of a supermarket and speciality retail stores and the fact that other land in Pialba is already approved for development although no development has yet occurred. I argued that the Planning Scheme conditions clearly relate to protecting ‘existing centres’ and not to vacant land with a current Development Application over it.  Several Councillors, myself included, were interested in why we weren’t recommending a Preliminary Approval for this development and I argued strongly that this site is the appropriate site for some box retail/showroom development but not for another supermarket. The vote was a close one with myself and other Councillors voting against the recommendation to refuse the application. Council was split down the middle with Mick our Mayor and chairperson having to cast the deciding vote. Mick voted to support the refusal so the application failed. I hope a new application is lodged minus the supermarket to ensure that we do consolidate that area of Pialba as our central shopping precinct. I am still waiting for Spotlight, Cutain Wonderland, pillow talk and other larger retailers to arrive here. While I support our local businesses I do sometimes travel to Maroochydore etc where I can find a Homemaker centre and Sunshine Plaza within cooee of each other.

Next we agreed to refuse a development for 4 units (6 storey high if I recall correctly) in James St Urangan, due to the lack of approriate setbacks etc on a very small block of land. I expect the building will be redesigned and gain approval by complying with setback provisions etc more closely. Then we refused an application to develop 41 Industrial Lots in Mayne St, Tiaro due to failure to meet Tiaro Planning Scheme provisions and also refused a 1 into 3 reconfiguration in Walkers Rd, Urangan near the aiport due to noise overlay conflicts.

Lastly we dealt with two items in confidential and I voted against both of them. I will await the recommendations being made public prior to commenting on the nature of these two items in more detail.

CONFIDENTIAL

Change Of Reserve Tenure -Urangan Boat Harbour

Ombudsman Recommendations – 3 Westringia Court, Craignish

EASTER

So it was with much relief that Easter arrived. It has been wonderful to have 4 days at home catching up on gardening and housework. Today is catch up on office work day etc and with the rain this seems the logical use of time.

Some people have been asking about my efforts to see using contact lenses and how my Tony Ferguson assisted weight loss is going.  I decided contacts for me are best used for special occasions that don’t involve reading and I use them for evening activities etc. Otherwise I’m juggling both reading and sunglasses so am back to my all purpose glasses most of the time.

The weight loss is excruciatingly slow (probably cause I cheat a bit) but on track. I have lost approx 7kgs since Christmas time although I indulged in an Easter hot cross bun yesterday and some chocolate eggs are still to be finished. So there may be a blimp in my slow downward travelling graph to date. But life is for living and although I find Tony F. easy to follow, I reckon chocolate once a year is not going to hurt. Luckily I never crave chocolate so once my eggs are eaten I will be straight back on track. I don’t use my ‘Wii Fit’ as much as I should and have some sore muscles today after a good session yesterday. I just have to find the time to use it more regularly it seems.

Well that is enough from me. A long post so thanks for listening. Take care and I hope you all have enjoyed a safe and happy Easter. Sue

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Sue Brooks March 28th, 2009

Friday evening saw us welcome the delegation from Leshan the Chinese Hervey Bay Sister City. The delegation is visiting us for two reasons. Firstly to resign the Sister City agreement between Leshan and Hervey Bay under our new FCRC and secondly to enable us to enjoy the wonderful performances of the Leshan Song and Dance Troup.

Yesterday I visited the Eco Fest at the Hervey Bay USQ campus and was pleased to see all the innovative products available to help us all lower our carbon footprint. The talk by Jerry Coleby-Williams was educational and uplifting and I enjoyed it thoroughly. See his site for more info http://www.bellis.info/Site_2/Blog/Blog.html 

Last night was the Cultural Festival Gala Concert at the Brolga and what an entertaining evening we experienced. A night of diverse and very enjoyable talent was on show but yes, the Leshan Dancers were a highlight for me. Colourful costumes and a very professional performance. I look forward to seeing them again today as the Cultural Festival draws to a climax with the day of activities and more entertainment at the Scarness foreshore. I hope the rain stays away so we can enjoy ourselves without getting too wet.

Council has had a busy week with the Special Meeting called to decide on the Centro expansion. I did not participate in the debate or vote for this application due to a perceived conflict as Graham and I rent a shop within the centre. (Psst Mind Games is for sale by the way!) I’m glad that the Centro expansion has been given the nod as it should enable Hervey Bay to finally provide a full range of retail experience for our Fraser Coast. I for one would prefer to do all my shopping locally. The new entrance via McLiver St will also have a huge impact on reducing congestion at Boat Harbour Dve/Central Ave.

Council also decided on a new DRAFT PLANNING SCHEME POLICY NO 4 – Water Supply, Sewerage, Transport, Stormwater, Public Parks and Community Land Infrastructure Contributions which will bring together the way in which development is charged or compensated for infrastructure provision. A difficult topic and one I personally struggle with. I struggle with it because if developers are expected to pay for everything that a community needs upfront, (not just the infrastructure needed to service their own development) then the person who actually ends up paying is not the developer but the purchaser of the land. Your kids and mine! A complex topic that I believe needs intense debate as we move into the future. The policy will be available for public submissions so please take the opportunity to have your say.

Lastly it was with great annoyance that I read Bring Back Strewth today. A post by John Neve  makes direct but unproved allegations about Council and the way in which it operates. I take great offense because everything is spoken about in terms of rumours! I also don’t believe that John gets off the hook by posing his contribution as questions.

Many of us use blogs etc to criticise the print media about its failure in reporting factually correct and substantiated truthful information but some blog contributors seem to be following down that path themselves.

As a Councillor I can only react to facts. If you honestly believe that Council is not acting in an open and transparent manner then please give me examples of what it is failing to do? No Council publicly advertises its internal staffing vacancies as otherwise what is the point in having internal vacancies? Every organisation I have ever worked for undertakes this process and yes Unions ensure that these processes are carried out correctly. I could go on but cannot be bothered.

If John or anyone else has direct knowledge of any dishonest or inappropriate dealings within Council please tell the Councillors directly. I can only react to factual information and I refuse to go running around asking questions based on nothing but hot air. Amalgamation has not been easy. Staff and Councillors have all been thrown into a situation not of our making. Yes all of us have had to adjust our processes somewhat and we have all had to learn about each other. I honestly believe that the great majority of people within FCRC have taken up this challenge and put their heads down and got on with it. In every organisation however, there will be some who are not happy with change and will voice this unhappiness. It is called ‘human nature’.

John you are usually a reasonable fellow but why are you so focussed on the negatives? Much has been achieved in this last 12 months and while we are not perfect, I believe FCRC has come a long way down a bumpy road. We are in a good position to grapple with the economic challenges we face and which are not due to our own making. If you are not happy with Council give me direct examples about things that are wrong so that I can try and improve them. Please remember that an organisation as large as FCRC that carries out such a diverse range of functions is unlikely to do everything exactly the way you want it done all day every day but unfounded constant criticism is not, in my opinion, the best way to bring about positive change. If anything it has the opposite effect in that there are times when I feel like throwing up my hands in despair and saying ‘why should I bother”!

But today is festival day so it is time to party. Please visit the Festival and enjoy. Life is just too short to spend all our time worrying. Live life and be happy. Care for each other and if you see something wrong offer a solution or a helping hand. I believe that is what really makes the world go round!Cheers, Sue

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Sue Brooks March 22nd, 2009

COUNCIL NEWS

Yet again a busy couple of weeks in Council and the community. At the last Planning and Development meeting Council unanimously voted not to support an application for development at Burrum Heads. The recommendation and decision follows.

P&D 4.2 SUPERSEDED PLANNING SCHEME APPLICATION FOR A DEVELOPMENT PERMIT FOR MATERIAL CHANGE OF USE (MCU) FOR RESIDENTIAL LOW DENSITY USES AND RECONFIGURATION OF A LOT (ROL) ONE LOT INTO 25 LOTS – AUSTRALIAN LAND CO. PTY LTD – LOCATED AT ORCHID DRIVE, BURRUM

MOVED (Brooks / Hawes)

That the application by Burchill Partners Pty Ltd for a Development Permit for Material Change of Use for Residential Low Density Uses and for Reconfiguring of a Lot (one (1) lot into twenty-five (24) Residential Low Density lots and one (1) balance lot for Residential Low Density purposes), in respect of land described as Lot 200 SP167963, located at Orchid Drive, Burrum Heads be refused for the following reasons:

1. The proposed development conflicts with the Holiday Village designation of the Strategic Plan. 2. The proposed development will not facilitate the retention of Burrum Heads as a low-scale seaside holiday village and is not able to be distinguished from typical urban residential development as required by section 1.2.4.1 of the Strategic Plan. 3. The proposal has not satisfactorily confirmed sufficient capacity (current or future) to service the proposed development (as required by section 1.2.4.3 of the Strategic Plan) with respect to commercial and community services. 4. The Applicant has not justified overriding need in terms of the public interest for the proposal and nor does the proposal reflect any characteristics that would indicate it could not be located elsewhere in the Council area. 5. The proposal does not comply and cannot comply with the Strategic Plan of the 1996 Transitional Hervey Bay City Planning Scheme. 6. The proposal is not consistent with the intent of the Rural Zone. 7. The proposed lot sizes do not comply and cannot be conditioned to comply with the requirements for lots, including lot size, within the Rural Zone. 8. The proposal does not comply and cannot be conditioned to comply with the 1996 Transitional Hervey Bay City Planning Scheme. 9. There are not sufficient grounds to justify approving the proposal given the above identified conflicts with the Planning Scheme.

Carried Unanimously

OPINION

While it may seem counter productive in these times of economic downturn I believe it is imperative that we adhere to our Planning Scheme and set real and definite boundaries as to where we want our urban growth. This decision reflects that and I was pleased with the collective support it received within the Chamber.

Many other developments were approved but I believe we will experience a time of adjustment where the market will stabalise and demand for new developments slow. Units are one area where I believe we will experieience over supply so the question of how we assess ‘need’ for development is raised.

I look forward to our civic leaders working with our community and industry leaders, towards developing a sustainable model for our region. How many people do we want to live here? Lets grow steadily till we reach that magic number and then settle into becoming a sustainable community. This model means we would have ongoing secure employment without the booms and busts that appears to be the current system. Many Eurpoean countries have a stable poulation base and are not dependant on infinite growth! I will write more on this topic soon.

OUT AND ABOUT

So to this week. Three days in a row of meetings ended on Friday with a wonderful workshop at the Brolga. Peter Kenyon spoke about how small communities can reinvent themselves and develop thriving businesses. He was an excellent presenter and gave many members of our smaller communities food for thought. You can read about him here. http://www.bankofideas.com.au/index.html

Two very special evenings in a row were also enjoyable. Opera on the Bay on Friday evenining at Gatakers restaurant showcased the vocal talents of Daniel Kay. While we were expecting opera, as was the experience the  previous two years, Daniel was very entertaining and an accomplished tenor with a magical voice. Last night we crossed our fingers that it wouldn’t rain and grabbed our fold up chairs and settled in at the Seafront Oval to enjoy the USQ performance of Shakespeare  ’The Tempest’. An energetic and wonderful performance by USQ students. It didn’t rain and I am sure everyone enjoyed the performance as much as we did.

CENTRO

This week Council has called a Special meeting on Wednesday at 9.30am to decide on the Centro Hervey Bay plans for expansion. Because I am part owner of Mind Games, which is a Centro tenant, I have a ‘perceived conflict of interest’ and will not be present for the debate or voting on this application. I am however pleased that after all this time a decision is about to be made. I am sure many people will be interested in this decision.

STATE ELECTION

And lastly my thoughts on the election.  An expected result for Maryborough and a change for Hervey Bay. My congratulations to the successful candidates. I will wait and see how this change will produce positive results for us. It seems we will still have Traveston, Fluoride and the Dingo fence but we won’t have a Minister as personally passionate about environmental issues as was Mr McNamara. But it is a new era and my wish is that we all keep voicing our opinions and having a strong say in how we want our State managed and for our politicians to stop and do what is best for the people rather than what is best for a political party!

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