But it was Brogden's vote in April last year that gave Barry O'Farrell the deputy leadership when he beat Hartcher by one vote. Brogden and Hartcher fell out, and the young MP threw his support behind O'Farrell. The tide turned again yesterday when Brogden swung his Left faction votes in favour of the no-confidence motion, when it was assumed the Left would stick behind O'Farrell, who was supporting Chikarovski. He angered some of colleagues when he spoke at last year's Drug Summit in support of liberalising drug laws, and he was drawn into further controversy in February when he was the only MP named in a speech by O'Farrell, who made no reference to Chikarovski. Last July he wrote that the late leadership switch from Peter Collins to Chikarovski in December 1998 was a mistake in timing but not in personnel.
Opposition is a hard and lonely trail.
Most successful leaders have suffered defeat before tasting victory - John Howard, Jeff Kennett, Nick Greiner. Even Bob Carr. Privacy Policy Copyright 2000.