NSW Liberal Party man-of-mystery and Corporate-Toucher-in-Chief Michael Yabsley reckons John Valder's snowballing campaign is a case of the old limelight deprivations. Last night's 7.30 Report on JV's campaign launch revealed that:

HEATHER EWART: Still, a former federal president of the Liberal Party criticising the PM can't expect to get off scot-free. The Howard Government has been coy to date about publicly attacking John Valder or Brian Deegan. But now former NSW Liberal minister Michael Yabsley has become its willing spokesman against Valder.
MICHAEL YABSLEY, FMR NSW MINISTER: I basically expressed my disgust at what he has done in terms of the assault that he's delivered against John Howard and the Federal Government. I think there are many people, I think the vast majority of people in the Liberal Party, feel that way.
HEATHER EWART: Late last week, Michael Yabsley fired off a fax to John Valder accusing him of bitterness and malice and of having: 'No solutions, no loyalty and no respect.'
JOHN VALDER: I think he read to me that he needed a cup of tea, a Bex and a good lie down.
MICHAEL YABSLEY: I think John is suffering from limelight deprivation syndrome. I think John wakes up every now and then and says, 'Look, I think it's time to cause a bit of mischief.'

Mischief, Yabbers? You want mischief? Oy, we feverish 'Liberal donocracy' conspiracy theorists here at NHJ! have got lumps of it out the back, mate...while contemplating Yabbsies' public-spirited intervention, let's all keep in mind exactly what he does for JH and his crew. Go and check out his fund-raising organisation, for starters (hell, while y'there why not chuck 'em a buck or two - I'm told they're struggling, the poor dears). Behold!:

- the crucial democratic function the Libs' Millennium Forum plays;
- the open, transparent, and entirely proper influence its benefactors (try to) exert on matters of democratic representation within the Liberal Party;
- and especially the plucky way its backers also get out there in public on the 'democratic stump' - why, just like John Valder and his ragtag crew! - to 'have an honest democratic crack' at helping decide elections.

O-yay-o-yay trooly does it make my dear old democratic heart bleed and bleed and bleed, to picture all those civically-committed senior corporate executives and silk-suited property developers and other sundry struggling millionaires trudging along in the marginal electorate streets, filling letter-boxes with their home-made flyers, handing out their how-to-vote-for-JH cards on the big day, writing their 'protest' songs and feeling the exciting grass-roots momentum build around them...yes, hurrah! for Michael Yabsley and his brave, lonely band of Millennium Forum 'Very Happy John!' campaigners! Hurrah! Hurrah!

Nothing 'sinister' or 'illegitimate' in the Libs' Millennium Forum, of course. But his and Howard's joint key roles in founding the bastard back in 1999, on the line-blurring Think-Thank-cum-Defacto-Corporatism-'Sponsors' model long beloved of US Donocracy Inc., and the way they've oh-so-quietly since developed it into a modern 'Liberal Party' powerhouse under the very snozzes of the wider grassroots membership, 'might' add a touch of perspective to Yabsley's JV-bashing now, is all. Let's face it - Valder's associated strategic aim of reclaiming a 'broader church' Liberal Party from the self-serving, ideologically-narrow grasp of just such donocrats and plutocrats is as much a challenge to Yabbers & Co as it is to John Winston Howard, is it not? (Not that I'm in any pozzy to second-guess JV's aims on the Lib donor score, obv, what with him being an old ASX man himself, and all; still, worth a ponder.)

And it's just that we here at NHJ! would sooooo hate to see such (very very) unseen and unheralded 'democratic heroes' as those who lob dosh at your MF deprived of the 'democratic limelight' for one second longer either, Mike. It's only fair that the public credit for making the Liberal Party everything it is today goes to those who most deserve it. I'm sure JV would agree with that much, at least.