Lambie slams own party and says she will leave if asked

Senator Jacqui Lambie says she will leave the Palmer United Party if asked, saying party leader Clive Palmer didn’t always “get it right”.

Palmer United Party (PUP) Senator Jacqui Lambie

(AAP)

The Tasmanian Senator said she wasn’t getting enough support from her party colleagues, who she said needed to “pull their socks up”.

Speaking to the ABC’s 730 program, Senator Lambie said there was no split in the party, but said Mr Palmer needed to bend to her thinking “instead of sitting on the fence”.

“The party leader doesn’t always get it right, let’s put it that way,” she said.

Describing the Tasmanian people as her boss, Senator Lambie said she wouldn’t leave the party until asked to do so.

She said she had made a verbal deal with Mr Palmer, though described their relationship as “up and down”.

“There’s going to be some argy bargy,” she said.

“I just feel like I’m not getting the support out of Clive Palmer or the Palmer United Party senators.”

Senator Lambie said she would be continuing with her plan to block legislation in the Senate until Prime Minister Tony Abbott renegotiated his wage deal with members of the Australian Defence Force.

She said on issues such as defence and her constituents, she would vote on her own rather than sticking to the party line.
'If the party is going to survive then they’d better come up with a bloody better plan of attack'
“If I have to step outside the line of Palmer United Party to cast my vote in those areas, I will be doing that,” she said.

Senator Lambie refused to rate the performance of her fellow senators, but said they had to “pull their socks up”.

“I’m not going to sit here and make my PUP senators or Clive Palmer look good when I’m not feeling that way about them,” she said.

“… If the party is going to survive then they’d better come up with a bloody better plan of attack than what they’ve been using.”

Comment has been sought from Mr Palmer, who earlier this week on social media.

The MP slammed Senator Lambie’s campaign encouraging people to turn their backs on Coalition politicians at Remembrance Day services.

He dismissed her actions on Monday, urging instead for respect.

"All Australians, particularly politicians, should show the utmost respect on Remembrance Day," he posted on Twitter.

"It is never a day for political actions."


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Published 12 November 2014 8:07pm
Updated 12 November 2014 8:23pm
By Stephanie Anderson
Source: World News Australia


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