Saturday, July 28, 2012

Why is Simon Sheikh quitting GetUp!?

Simon Sheikh quitting GetUp! seems kinda weird to me. I mean, he only started the organization a few years ago -- it really is his baby -- and it's been going gangbusters pretty much the whole time.

Of course it's possible that he'll just be having a hiatus -- a road trip to recharge the batteries. If that's the case then this post is completely irrelevant.

But if this official blog update is any guide it seems like his resignation may well be permanent.

Obviously he's been burning the candle at both ends, as evidenced by his well-publicized collapse on Q and A. Still, he got back on the bike very soon after that and was his usual energetic self. So it doesn't seem like he's on the verge of a nervous breakdown. 

His handing over the reigns to a successor is reminiscent of countless political resignations, in which the pollie in question says: "I'm leaving to spend time with my family." You know that's total BS in the vast majority of cases. Your typical pollie is hooked on the power his profession delivers as if it were crack cocaine. Even if he's got cute little sprogs back home pining for their daddy, you just know he'd much rather be crackin' skulls in Canberra.

Sheikh didn't wield that kind of power, but he certainly had a lot of influence. So why has he quit so soon?

Maybe he realized that the influence of GetUp! has peaked, and that it's all downhill from here? (I think that Bob Brown might have come to a similar conclusion about the Greens, actually. And that had a lot to do with his decision to find other ways to be sanctimonious, annoying and obstructive.)

Or maybe there's some other reason for Sheikh's resignation, such as a vicious power struggle behind the scenes? Who knows ...

In any case I just don't buy the official line. And I reckon other reasons for it may well emerge sooner or later. 

4 comments:

  1. Try the money angle. Who could put up with the Labour Party hacks telling him what to say, or the likes of George Soros? Shitodear... He may even have had a conscience about the garbage he was rolling out.

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  2. Perhaps I wasn't listening intently enough, but I thought to myself as he spoke on Q&A (the alert appearance) that he didn't sound as loopy as I would expect the founder of GetUp! to be. In fact he even spoke some words which seemed quite measured and sensible.

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  3. So maybe he's growing out of the whole project ... That's a possibility.

    One thing that characterizes the Left is their immature view of the world. While many cling steadfastly to that psychological state their entire lives, most do tend to become more conservative as they grow older. Perhaps the process is happening more quickly for him?

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  4. Simon isn't the founder of GetUp! Brett Solomon and co started it well before Simon was ever there. Sounds like you don't know much at all.

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