This post is dedicated to the short but brutal reign of David Shoebridge. Last night, Senator Jordon Steele-John published an extraordinary statement describing his experience of domestic violence, stalking, a police investigation that ended without charges, and the political manoeuvring he believes has surrounded him for nearly a decade. He also made it abundantly clear that he is NOT on leave, never agreed to be, and believes Shoebridge misrepresented him. Then I heard from a NSW Greens source that Shoebridge has called an emergency party-room meeting tomorrow morning to EXPEL JORDON. If that information is correct, what the ACTUAL FUCK? A disabled senator, a survivor of violence, publicly describing unimaginable trauma, asking for a fair investigation, and now potentially facing political execution before that investigation has reached a conclusion. For WHAT? Refusing to disappear quietly? Telling his side of the story? Getting the police involved about stalking and a blackmail threat against a sitting member of Parliament? And here's where it gets particularly fucking interesting. In 2017, Shoebridge passionately defended Lee Rhiannon when the Greens excluded her from party-room decisions over her opposition to Turnbull's Gonski school funding legislation. Rhiannon, who wrote Sold Off Sold Out about privatisation, was fighting for public services and grassroots democracy. Shoebridge insisted she belonged in the party room. Apparently principles have an expiry date. Now people are asking questions about the internal factions, preselection ambitions, and where Sarah Hanson-Young, Mehreen Faruqi and Sophie McNeill stand in all this. Four WA Greens MPs, Brad Pettitt, Sophie McNeill, Jess Beckerling and Tim Clifford, signed a statement applauding Shoebridge's swift response while calling for natural justice. And Jordon says a former staffer accessed an old internal document in July, then took up a WA Greens media role. Who hired that person? Why was the document accessed then? Who benefits from its resurfacing now? And is that person's office involved in any subsequent investigation or terms of reference for an inquiry? These are questions requiring answers, not proof of a conspiracy. This whole thing stinks. While Jordon has been fighting cuts to disabled people's supports, the Greens appear to be finding considerably more time for internal warfare than for the people they were elected to represent. Investigate every genuine complaint. Protect everyone involved. Follow the fucking evidence. But don't confuse political expediency with justice. This is shit. The whole thing is shit. And because sending ridiculous invoices is apparently all the fashion, we in the disability community has prepared one of our own. $12,000. Itemised. Every last cent of the bullshit, because apparently it's okay to try and extract money from political parties. But still, I guess capitalism never went out of fashion. Payment due immediately. enoughaustralia.com