When showing your progressive credentials means allegedly recruiting conservatives, breaching your own policies, and lying hand over fist the whole way…

Imagine spending your money on something that was supposed to be new and different from the old version only to find out it was as just as dodgy as the old version.

This is the position that those who have joined the New Liberal Party find themselves.

Since I wrote about the New Liberals apparent recruitment of three current members of the Morrison government and the Liberal Party the party leader Victor Kline has continued to tell outright lies to his members and followers on social media. I corrected these lies when they first appeared however I figured if Mr Kline wants to lie to his members then they’ll find out soon enough.

In recent days however, these lies have escalated and I feel the record needs setting straight.

There was much speculation as to my sources after Kline publicly accused Labor’s Tony Burke of leaking it. This is despite the fact that Kline knew this to be a lie and that I’d publicly stated it had nothing to do with Burke.

If anyone is concerned in any way, over the issue of Tony Burke revealing to Wixxyleaks that three Liberal backbenchers were coming over to us, or why ALP would choose to save the LNP govt rather than take the chance to oust them now, please don’t hesitate to ring me. 0419686783

— Victor Kline (@victorklineTNL) August 21, 2021

So why the lie?

Mr Kline was hoping to convince Burke to ensure Labor didn’t support electoral changes legislation. Mr Kline had been telling all and sundry that if this legislation passed it would mean the New Liberals would be deregistered as a party. It was legislation that targeted the New Liberals he told his followers on Twitter, ignoring both the facts and history.

We promised not to run in Labor seats, as the best way to beat the govt. Our thanks was Labor conspiring with the govt to pass a Bill to deregister us. Despite this we will not change course. It is important our followers know we will always keep our word, no matter what! #TNL

— Victor Kline (@victorklineTNL) August 18, 2021

Fortunately Kline failed to convince Burke and the legislation passed unamended. The impact on the New Liberals was as immediate as it was uneventful. The party remained registered.

It did, however, highlight that their leader Victor Kline had been seeking publicity under the false premise that his party was to be deregistered. This means he either;

A: Intentionally misled followers about the legislation

Or

B: Failed to understand the legislation

Neither being a great option for leader of a political party.

Some queried why a supposedly left wing party would seek to recruit three conservatives. Members and candidates pointed to their policies and stated their commitment to them as evidence of their left leanings.

Fair enough, but endorsing three serving conservatives is actually in breach of their own policy which states;

“This is why we have a policy of endorsing ‘non-politicians’”

So committed to their policies are they that they would breach them before they’ve even had a candidate elected to council let alone parliament.

Perhaps Kline’s anger with Burke for exposing his lie about party deregistration is the reason he blamed Burke for leaking the story to me of the three defecting Liberals. Whatever it was something clouded his already questionable judgement.

Then after about a week of pointing the finger squarely at Burke, on the 29^th August Victor Kline changed his story yet again.

‘ALP operative’ Craig Thomson, who isn’t even a member of the Labor Party let alone an ‘operative was according to Kline told by Tony Burke and then passed it onto me.

The claim by Wicks that Burke didn’t leak the story of the three defecting Libs to him is spin. Burke didn’t speak directly to Wicks. But he got someone else to tell him, which is the same thing – ALP operative and convicted criminal Craig Thomson. #TNL #auspol ?@madwixxy?

— Victor Kline (@victorklineTNL) August 29, 2021

This is the best lie Victor Kline could come up with a week to think one up.

One might well wonder how such a bizarre story came about, After all, this is not an episode of Get Smart where the conspirators met in the ‘cone of silence’. One may well also wonder why a week later Craig Thomson’s name came out as the source with Victor Kline and his supporters passing some pretty harsh judgements on Thomson and those who would associate with him.

So here’s how it came about…

Approximately twelve months ago Craig Thomson reached out to an organisation called the Refugee Law Project to volunteer his services, this is where he met Victor Kline who is the group’s founder. Clearly they both have an interest in politics and over the next year they chatted regularly.

Kline told Thomson about three Liberal MP’s that were defecting to his party and complained about the upcoming electoral reform bill and how eager he was to see Labor vote against it.

Thomson then confided in me that there may be a big story coming up with the apparent defecting members and told me he would let me know as early as possible when it was going to happen.

Thinking that he was doing both Victor and Labor a favour Thomson organised for Kline to have a chat with Burke.

As the correspondence in the below WhatsApp Chat shows Thomson was discussing the three defecting members before Kline had any contact with Burke.

The correspondence also shows how effective Kline was in convincing Burke of, well anything really, with Burke directing him to the National Office for party matters, the same process as every other minor party. Burke also added that Labor

“only deal with any legislation strictly on its merits”

I guess Kline didn’t like dealing with someone with principles as he went silent on Thomson, probably figuring he had no further use for him.

I was keen to follow up the three defecting Liberals and contacted Kline by phone on the 19^th August. Explaining what Thomson had told me, Kline confirmed the story of the yet to eventuate three defecting government MP’s, but wouldn’t tell me anything further as he was disgruntled Labor were still supporting the electoral reform bill. The next day I published my article on the supposed defections.

Kline had been adamant that Burke had leaked it because he was the only person other than his party executive who he’d told. But by then Kline had already told Thomson and then later told me, and that’s just the people we know.

Mr Kline’s behaviour and proven loose relationship with the truth makes me wonder if the story of the three defectors was one of Klines porkies that has snowballed beyond his control, and rapidly turned into one lie to cover the last one.

If there were three defectors the story coming out would have only hastened their defection due to the increased internal pressure, even if they didn’t end up in the New Liberals.

Bear in mind the New Liberals are a new party, they have no elected members anywhere at any level of government.

I love it when people trying to get into politics claim they’ll be different but then use all the nasty tactics of the people they claim to be different to. The way you get into politics defines how you’ll behave once you get there.

— Eddy Jokovich (@EddyJokovich) August 30, 2021

If Mr Kline wants to show that at least he was being honest about the allegedly defecting members he best tell the public who they are or else most reasonable people will just think it was just another lie to add to the ever-growing pile.

I understand that some are keen to be involved in a left wing party that is not Labor or the Greens, I would encourage anyone to become politically active. However, there are not a lot of credible options, although the Animal Justice Party have three MP’s in parliaments in NSW and Victoria that have shown their integrity time and time again.

But I’d avoid all Liberals, old, new or democrat, but that’s only because I’m a bit of a stickler for honesty and integrity.

Follow @madwixxy