I HAD to laugh at a letter to the editor

of the Herald last week by Matt Luxford: ''Well, at least we know where

the Howard-haters have gone. Morphed into Morris-maulers, and good luck to 'em.''

I'd be the last to disagree with the Terrigal resident. The February 23-24 SMH seemed to confirm the point with a raft of letters calling for change, some of it radical.

''Anyone who is found to have done the wrong thing out. No matter who they are,'' said Tim Pye, of Riverview, adding: ''Goodbye, Morris.''

The governor should sack `em all, several

said. As we all know, there is a precedent.

After a week of Wollongong Council sagas (who said living in the 'Gong was boring?), the focus was on sex and money and party cronyism.

Rex Condon, of Ashwood (Vic), observed dryly: ''An English political columnist once wrote than when it came to scandals, with the Conservatives it was sex and with Labor it was money. Morris Iemma's Government

is making history in combining the two.''

The growing scandal shows all too graphically how Labor mateship works. Rob Macgregor, of West Pennant Hills: ''Members of the NSW

Labor Party aren't elevated through quality management, policy advances or knowledge, intellectual capacity or integrity, rather Mafia-like head-nodding and perceived support.

''As a member of Young Labor in the year of [Joe] Tripodi and [Reba] Meagher rule, I found all active attempts to advance policy debate

were ridiculed or quashed. If you were to fall in line and become a factional head-kicker, you were lauded and rewarded by Eric Roozendaal in headoffice. Now we see the results.''

We do indeed.

There's little doubt things are rotten in the state of NSW. Eastwood's Peter Skrzynecki got it right when he urged: ''Come on, John Watkins, do it. Let a breath of fresh air into the stink that's settled over NSW politics''.

Unfortunately, John is a leftie in a party that, like the Libs, is dominated by the right-wing and the factions hate each other's guts.

But don't blame me, I didn't vote for this mob of factional warlords, this mob of dills, with their entrenched cronyism and vote-buying mentality.

Unfortunately, the Opposition, led by

one-line-Barry (O'Farrell), hardly inspires confidence, let alone voter support.