A PUBLIC brawl has broken out between local LNP identities federal MP Andrew Laming and former state MP Peter Dowling.
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The pair has exchanged blows on the Redland City Bulletin Facebook page, showing deep division over preselection issues at branch level.
As the MP for Redlands in the Campbell Newman government, Mr Dowling gained notoriety after it was revealed that he sent a picture of his penis in a glass of red wine to a woman who also accompanied him on parliamentary travel.
Mr Dowling lost the support of then premier Mr Newman and eventually lost the preselection battle for his seat to current Redlands MP Matt McEachan.
This week Mr Dowling opened a Facebook brawl when he posted that Mr Laming “could do something for Redlands for a change’’.
Mr Laming responded that he had written a reference for Mr Dowling to help him keep his job as an MP which had been used in his preselection portfolio.
It said Mr Dowling was a hard-working MP who deserved a second chance during a difficult personal time.
Mr Dowling responded by asking Mr Laming why he urged local party members not to support him.
Mr Laming upped the ante.
“I put everything on the line for you when you were fiddling with red wine,’’ he wrote. “Was there any gratitude, respect or even acknowledgement?’’
Mr Dowling said the best thing to come out of not being endorsed was no longer having to know Mr Laming.
Mr Laming also has been under attack on Facebook for an electorate poll which guides his stand on marriage equality.
It comes as Redland City Council mayor Karen Williams censures Cr Paul Gleeson over an unrelated but heated Facebook exchange.
Councillors Julie Talty and Tracey Huges have also been criticised on Facebook over various issues, with many comments being wildly inaccurate.
Cr Williams said she had rebuked Cr Gleeson over his replies to comments which she deemed inappropriate.
She said council had a social media policy that all had to follow.
Queensland University of Technology’s Associate Professor Axel Bruns has warned politicians that social media is a double-edged sword, with a bad tweet or Facebook post likely to do more harm than good.
Professor Bruns said leading in social media metrics did not always translate into more support for a politician.
