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The most intriguing storyon Macquarie Street in recent weeks has been that of the senior government figure allegedly caught in a compromising position in one of Sydney's best known parks.

It's all very NSW politics. Salacious details have travelled like wildfire around media and political circles.

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In October, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull draws laughter from his colleagues after claiming the Liberal Party is not governed by backroom deals. Vision courtesy ABC News 24.

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A detainee has told of his fears as a gunfire rings out at the Manus Island detention centre on Friday evening.

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Former foreign affairs minister Gareth Evans is urging Australia to reduce its dependence on the United States alliance and accept China as a legitimate "global rule maker".

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The Women of Hizb ut-Tahrir Australia publish a controversial video to Facebook wherein the participants appear to legitimise hitting women that are 'sinful' in the context of their interpretation of Islamic tradition.

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There's dissent in the Coalition ranks over the idea for first homebuyers to access their super to get into the housing market.

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Despite two of their children being born in Australia, a Fijian family has been taken into detention and Immigration minister Peter Dutton says they'll he deported.

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The India trade deal is spiked as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull explains why the deal promised by his predecessor isn't going ahead.

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WA Premier Mark McGowan says he is looking at options to deal with the Perth City Council, one of them being dismissing the council.

In October, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull draws laughter from his colleagues after claiming the Liberal Party is not governed by backroom deals. Vision courtesy ABC News 24.

Media organisations have made enquiries that havecome to nothing, strongly indicating it is wholly a fabrication.

Yet it persists propelled by some political operatives talking to journalistswith the attendantdamage to the reputation of the person targeted.

Thiswillingness to push such a damagingstory is being seen as symptomatic of a particular brand of poisonous factionalism in the NSW Liberal Party characterised by an win-at-all costs-attitude and little regard for how much internal damage is done.

It's a style of internal politics the party thought was long behind it.

But last weekend's byelections in the blue ribbon Liberal seats of North Shore and Manly, atwhich the government was belted with huge swings, for some provided more evidence it is back.

The candidates Felicity Wilson and James Griffin were both backed by the moderate, or left, faction.

Wilson narrowly defeated the right's Tim James in a tight preselection, while Griffin easily beat the right's choice, Walter Villatora, who was backed by former prime minister Tony Abbott.

Clearly local issues and the government's unpopular forced council mergersplayed into the results, but so did scandals.

There was also strong evidence that rival factional operativestook aim at the endorsed Liberal candidates particularly Wilson, who Fairfax Media revealed had incorrectly signed a statutory declaration about how long she has lived in the area.

The declaration in the shape of a Liberal party nomination form was distributed to about 200 preselectors and made its way to the media.

The story almost derailed Wilson's campaign, leaving senior Liberal moderates appalled at the prospect that, suicide bomber-like, some in the right faction would be willing to blow up the endorsed Liberal candidate simply because she was not their pick.

All of this should be sounding very loud alarm bells for Premier Gladys Berejiklian who, only a few months into the job, is about to confront the issue of factionalism head on.

With the civil war in the NSW Liberalsshowing no signs of abating, a major convention scheduled for late Julylooms as a critical momentforBerejiklian's2019 election campaign.

The meeting will see all party members invited to thrash out a potential solution to an issue that has caused a deep fissure in the NSW Liberals: whether to change how state and federal candidates are preselected.

The right faction of the Liberal partyhas been pushing hard for a plebiscite system giving all branch members a vote.

But the dominant left and centre right factions favour retaining the present system where preselectionsare decidedby branchrepresentativesand some party officials.

There is a lot of self-interest at play here the left and centre-right run the show under the status quo but they warna shift to plebiscites will lead to rampant branch stacking.

Berejiklian, given her closeness to the left faction, has thus far been assumed to be an opponent of plebiscites. Then-premier Mike Baird was in favour, in close alignment with his mate Abbott.

Now Berejiklian is Premier, she says she does not have a position either way and stresses she has never publicly stated one.

It's a telling response, given what is looming as a very public fight over the issue.

The non-binding convention was the agreed-upon circuit breaker advocated by then-premier Baird and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that emerged from last year's NSW Liberal state council at which Abbott and Villatora pushed hard for the party to adopt plebiscites.

When it rolls around, there will be good reason forBerejiklian to push hard for a broadly supported solution.

Theparty will begin preselections for state and federal seats next year otherwise known as peak season for factional warfare.

Avoiding a Felicity Wilson-style outbreak of friendly fire by keeping the factional suicide bombers at bay across key seats could provepivotalto the government's chances of winninga third term in office.

Sean Nicholls is state political editor.

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The vicious rumours at the heart of factional warfare for NSW Liberals - The Sydney Morning Herald

McClatchy Washington Bureau

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Liberals fume at Democratic establishment for refusing to take more risk - McClatchy Washington Bureau

MARK BONOKOSKI, Postmedia Network Apr 13, 2017

, Last Updated: 10:22 PM ET

It was a brilliant if not cynical move on the part of the Trudeau Liberals to table their marijuana legislation during the same week they thumped down a 294-page omnibus budget document like those contemptible Harperites were so prone to doing.

After all, if a smokescreen was ever needed for a touchy topic, such as the Liberals breaking a promise to never table the kind of all-encompassing omnibus bill that riled them up during the Conservatives years, then what better way than to hot-box it in the progressive hipsterism of legalizing pot?

The flak over the Liberals omnibus bill, most of it delivered in the low-ratings setting of the Commons Question Period, lasted all of a nanosecond.

Perhaps that was all it deserved. Compared to the 880-page tome the government of Stephen Harper dropped in 2010, Trudeaus budget implementation bill was downright skeletal.

But it was a broken promise nonetheless.

Buried in its pages, for example, were items far removed from financial and economic considerations, including changes to the Judges Act, the Veterans Affairs Act, among others, as well as proposals to limit the reach of the independent Parliamentary Budget Officer in holding government to account.

For all intents and purposes, it met the definition of an omnibus bill, even if less than half the weight of Harpers weightiest.

The public, however, had its attention quickly distracted by the Liberals much-anticipated and long-touted pot legislation.

In other words, rightful criticism of the Liberals omnibus legislation got quickly overrun by weed.

The legislation tabled Thursday, however, is still in diapers. It has to be widely consulted, make its way through the Senate, and see negotiations with the provinces at many levels, and with the U.S. government over border security.

The Trudeau Liberals may lay claim to the baby but it will be the provinces who will be left with the bath water to do the down-and-dirty work of regulation and distribution, pricing and packaging, as well as the policing and enforcement of a nascent pot industry.

The idea that the Liberals can have everything in place for its preferred launch date of Canada Day 2018 Cannabis Day from that day onward? is a long shot at best.

There are still obstacles aplenty.

Earlier this month, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police urged the Liberals to back off a recommendation from the governments task force on legalization to allow home grows of marijuana of up to four plants, arguing it would run counter to the stated goal of a highly-regulated and controlled system.

The association also raised the issue of the challenges police will face in enforcing impaired driving under the influence of marijuana, saying limits thus far are neither defined nor supported by science.

The chiefs, however, were ignored. And it is still early days.

Yesterday, as an example of more and more critical eyes on the process, the chair of the government task force cited by the chiefs, former Liberal cabinet minister Anne McLellan, was questioned in a Globe and Mail article for being a senior adviser for Bennett Jones LLP, which promotes itself as the go-to advisory firm in the burgeoning marijuana sector.

Health Canada, which struck the task force, responded to the Globe that McLellan, as well as the other eight panellists, declared their interests before assuming their duties and signed confidentiality agreements limiting their use of government documents.

As for the omnibus bill, and the Trudeau Liberals pulling a move more reminiscent of the Harper Conservatives?

It was there one minute, and then it was gone hot-boxed and lost in a marijuana smokescreen.

It was brilliant strategy, cynical but brilliant.

markbonokoski@gmail.com

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BONOKOSKI: Liberals' hot-boxing of a marijuana smokescreen - Canoe

OTTAWA The federal government is steering Canada into a bold and risky social experiment with proposed new laws legalizing recreational marijuana for those aged 18 and older and stringent new criminal sanctions for those who break them.

The bundle of bills tabled Thursday in the House of Commons marks the start of a lengthy process which, once complete in July 2018, will usher in a dramatic cultural change, its ramifications reaching into nearly every aspect of Canadian society.

Since the 2015 election campaign, the Liberals have couched their push to legalize pot in a counterintuitive message: that it is the single best way to keep the drug out of the hands of impressionable and still-developing children.

The long-standing prohibition on pot in Canada has been an "abject failure," with police forces spending upwards of $3 billion a year trying to stamp out cannabis use among some of the heaviest users in the western world, said Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.

Criminals on the black market are the ones profiting from the current system, to the tune of anywhere from $7 billion to $8 billion a year, Goodale said.

In short, he said: "We simply have to do better."

Bill Blair, the ex-Toronto police chief turned Liberal MP, said the objective is not to promote the use of pot, but to allow its safe, socially responsible use through the mechanism of legislation and strict regulation.

Parliamentary Secretary Bill Blair, left to right, Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada Jody Wilson-Raybould, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Ralph Goodale and Health Minister Jane Philpott make their way to the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on April 13, 2017. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

Another objective that became clear Thursday: impose significantly more rigid laws to combat impaired driving in all its forms, be it alcohol or drugs.

Driving under the influence is a major contributor to deadly road crashes in Canada, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould said, calling young impaired people the single largest group of drivers killed in motor vehicle accidents in Canada.

The legislation, once passed, would allow police to use what she called "oral fluid screening devices" to check for marijuana impairment, while also creating brand new driving offences for those caught driving while impaired by pot.

Police would be able to demand a saliva sample if they have "reasonable suspicion" a driver has drugs in their body; a positive test result would then help officers identify "reasonable grounds'' to demand a blood sample or further drug evaluation.

"I am confident of the constitutionality of the mandatory road side testing," Wilson-Raybould said.

"This is not a device or a tool that does not exist in other places in the world. In fact, mandatory roadside testing in many countries has significantly reduced the number of deaths on our highways."

Ottawa is leaving it up to the provincial and territorial governments to prescribe rules for retail environments, including whether marijuana can be sold alongside alcohol, as well as to properly regulate and distribute the drug.

That means the challenge now before the provincial and territorial governments is nothing short of monumental.

Health Minister Jane Philpott says criminalizing cannabis has not deterred use among young people. (Photo: The Canadian Press)

"I think that if we get it right, it can work," said Alberta Premier Rachel Notley.

"I also know that there is a lot of heavy lifting to be done to get there ... One of the things we know, for instance, is that it's not the cash cow that people think it is and there are a lot of costs associated with it."

Opposition reaction Thursday ran the gamut: the Conservatives shook their heads at what they are convinced is a bad idea, while the New Democrats wondered what took so long.

"I have to ask myself why this bill wouldn't have been tabled six or 12 months ago," said NDP health critic Don Davies, noting the challenge now before the provinces.

His Conservative counterpart, Colin Carrie, wondered aloud how exactly Prime Minister Justin Trudeau plans to keep the other governments at bay.

"How much is legalization going to cost?" he said. "Does he intend on downloading this entire thing for implementation and enforcement?''

Other questions remain unanswered.

One that dominated the conversation Thursday touched on how the changes could impact the country's relationship with the U.S., and what sort of administrative stress Canadians can expect at the border.

Canada has been in "very close touch" with the U.S. on the issue, said Goodale, but he had little to say about Canadians who might fear trouble from American border guards when travelling south.

"Every sovereign country has the ability at the border to make decisions for themselves," Goodale said.

"No one should lie at the border; in fact under the laws of both countries you are obliged to tell the truth when you're speaking to a border services officer."

A U.S. Embassy spokesperson, speaking on background, said while any changes won't impact the relationship between the two countries, Canadians still need to be cognizant of the law as it stands in the U.S.

"Currently, marijuana possession is against federal law in the United States, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will enforce the law as appropriate," the official said.

"It is important that Canadians are aware of possible actions they may face upon attempted entrance into the United States if they possess or have residue of marijuana."

Exporting and importing cannabis will continue to be illegal, Goodale said. The government said resources required by the RCMP and the Canadian Border Services Agency will be provided to enforce the law at the border.

On the issue of packaging, the government's proposed bill suggests cannabis sales should not be allowed packages or labels that give reasonable grounds to believe it could be sold to young people.

It also bars packaging containing a "testimonial or endorsement" or that depicts a person, character or animal.

The legislation also includes a prohibition for producers packaging cannabis in a way associated with "a way of life" including glamour, recreation, excitement, vitality and risk.

The bill gives authority to set in place regulations for other specific areas such as font and colour, Philpott suggested Thursday, noting the government will take public health lessons from issues including tobacco.

With files from Jim Bronskill

Some of the highlights from the suite of bills introduced Thursday:

Sales to be restricted to people age 18 and older, although provinces would have the jurisdiction to increase their own minimum age.

Adults 18 and older would be allowed to publicly possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis, or its equivalent in non-dried form.

Sales by mail or courier through a federally licensed producer would be allowed in provinces that lack a regulated retail system.

Adults aged 18 and older would be allowed to grow up to four cannabis plants for each residence, with plants not to exceed one metre in height.

Adults aged 18 and older would also be allowed to produce legal cannabis products, such as food or drinks, for personal use at home.

At first, sales will entail only fresh and dried cannabis, cannabis oils and seeds and plants for cultivation. Sales of edibles will come later, once regulations for production and sale can be developed.

Possession, production and distribution outside the legal system would remain illegal, as would imports or exports without a federal permit. Such permits will cover only limited purposes, such as medical or scientific cannabis and industrial hemp.

Travellers entering Canada would still be subject to inspections for prohibited goods, including cannabis.

The existing program for access to medical marijuana would continue as it currently exists.

Check out the whole bill embedded below:

Bill C-45: Liberals' Marijuana Legalization Bill by HuffPostCanada on Scribd

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Liberals' Marijuana Legalization Bills Introduced In The House Of Commons - Huffington Post Canada

Tom Krattenmaker Published 3:16 a.m. ET Feb. 9, 2017 | Updated 10:10 a.m. ET Feb. 9, 2017

Lady Gaga at the Super Bowl on Feb. 5, 2017(Photo: Bob Donnan, USA TODAY Sports)

And a sequin-bedecked pop star will show them the way.

Not exactly holy writ. Yet in addition to a wildly entertaining performance at the Super Bowl, Lady Gaga has handed progressives the unifying principle theyve struggled to identify and articulate. As Gaga demonstrated in her uniquely fabulous way, its time for progressives to reclaim patriotism.

Speculation was rampant that Gaga might use her halftime spotlight to make a pointed political statement la Meryl Streep at the Golden Globes. What a surprise and head-scratcher, initially to find her starting the show with God Bless America.

Liberals would have rolled their eyes out of their sockets had it been a country star singing it. But Gaga being Gaga, they probably trusted she was up to something. When she segued into This Land is Your Landand then her catchy hits, including the anthem of acceptance Born This Way,it was obvious what she was doing: connecting progressives zeal for inclusion to the nations founding ideals.

Its a line that hasbeen begging to be drawn for some time now, and an appeal to patriotism that hasalso been there for the taking. If accepted, Gagas gift can solidify resistance to the Trump administration and help shape a positive progressive identity for the long term ahead.

For me, the need for a progressive rallying cry and unifying message was never more apparent than during a recent edition of MSNBCs Hardball.Host Chris Matthews was interviewing a woman who helped organize the massive womens march that took place the day after the inauguration. Matthews ticked off some of the marchers issues reproductive rights, black lives, opposition to military aggression and asked Janaye Ingram what unites them and the people behind them.

You saw people of all different stripes, 5 million people globally, who came together on January 21st,marching for a variety of issues, Ingram responded. "And yes, they're interconnected. Why? Because we as women, we are inherently intersectional. We are born intersectional. We're not single-issue people."

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Important concepts, but not whats needed to bring people to their feet. Much more could have been said. Like:

"We are unitedby our caring for the dignity and fair treatment of people regardless of their sex, origins, or whatever else might mark them as 'different.' "And, "We are united by our belief in the American ideal, by the story of a nation founded on the noble principle that all people are created equal and deserving of equal respect."

Its my observation that progressives have ceded patriotism to conservatives, much like the word moral, because conservative use and misuse of these concepts have made them radioactive to progressive sensibilities. Thats a shame, and a lost opportunity to win over wider swaths of the public. Although the m-word is seldom uttered, progressive values are shot through with moral commitments. And they are deeply resonant with important aspects of what it means to be an American.

Take gay rights. Progressives rally to this cause not because of a lack of morals, but because of the deep moral conviction that its wrong to mistreat people on the basis of sexual orientation. Analogous moral commitments undergird support for the rights of women, racial minoritiesand followers of non-majority religions.

At the several rallies Ive attended recently, Ive been struck by the number of non-Latino and non-Muslim people standing with those most directly under the gun of the new administration. Ive been impressed, too, by the explicit appeals to what our country is about to patriotism captured by the frequent assertion that the dark vision of Trump and adviser Steven Bannon is not the America I know.

The America we know and the American values we advanceare the invisible glue that bind the disparate parts of the progressive movement. This is the progressive patriotism waiting for us to name, and claim.

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As is the case with any movement, the progressive cause needs to be known for more than what its against. Resisting Trump is plenty for now, but the post-Trump day will come soon, we hope when the movement will need to articulate a positive vision and identity. What, in the long run, will progressives be known for, and what will attract more people to the cause?

Shutting down campus talks by people such as Breitbart'sMilo Yiannopoulos? Better to let him speak and disgrace himself, I say. Violence in the streets and punches in the face for hateful provocateurs such asRichard Spencer? Better to go high road, which means fierce commitment but peaceful tactics and a benevolent spirit. This is not only right but also tactically smart. Nothing would delight the president more than a pretext for a clampdown on dissent, with a level of violence infinitely more potent than anything that black bloc protesters can muster.

Progressives,its OK to wave the flag. It belongs to us as much as the conservatives who have made it their brand. Well know it means something quite different, and more valid, at a pro-immigrants march than it means as a stage prop behind Trumps podium.

A member of USA TODAYs Board of Contributors, Tom Krattenmaker is a writer specializing in religion in public life and communications director atYale Divinity School. His new book is titledConfessions of a Secular Jesus Follower.

You can readdiverse opinions from ourBoard of Contributorsand other writers ontheOpinion front page,on Twitter@USATOpinionand in our dailyOpinion newsletter.To submit a letter, comment or column, check oursubmission guidelines.

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Liberals should learn from Lady Gaga: Tom Krattenmaker