David Clarke, MLC, a Hills resident and leader of the Liberal Party's so-called Christian hard-right, will be challenged for his Upper House seat later this month.

Already in his sixties, Clarke is asking colleagues to give him another eight years in Parliament. Yet his faction denied Alan Cadman, the former Member for Mitchell, the same opportunity, saying he was too old.

Ironically, Clarke is relying on the left-wing of his party, his traditional mortal enemies, to allow him to resume his place in the Upper House after the dissolution of the 54th Parliament on March 4, 2011.

``Despite all the rumours that Clarke is gone, a deal's been done with the Left,'' a factional insider told me. ``The Left will back him at preselection in return for our support for the Left's Catherine Cusack'' (the Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Sustainability).

``If they dump Clarke, Cusack the Left's star will be dumped. That's our insurance policy.''

Clarke was apparently fine-tuning the deal last week with the left-wing leader Michael Photios, the former MP who loves a party and remains vice president of the NSW Liberals.

Regardless, Clarke will face his first challenge for preselection by one or more supporters of his protege and now implacable rival, Alex Hawke, the federal MP who rolled Cadman and is the leader of the born-again soft-Right.

For almost two years, supporters of the two former friends dubbed the sorcerer and his apprentice have been branch-stacking in a bitter, tit-for-tat war for control of the North-West Liberal branches.

Clarke's wooing of the Left is seen by the Hawke faction as desperate days.

``If Clarke is returned thanks to the Left, the faction would lose all credibility,'' a moderate-Right insider said. ``The extreme Right has been gunning for left-wing MPs for ages.''

Many names have been mentioned in the tilt against Clarke. Councillor Peter Dimbrowsky, whose reign as Mayor of the Hills ends in October, said:

``I'd be absolutely delighted to be considered for such a respectable and satisfying role, but I can't comment under Liberal Party rules.''

Others include former federal MP for Parramatta, Ross Cameron, Ross Grove, the Holroyd councillor and Keith Topolski, formerly of the Hills now living in Gosford.

For a party without formal factions, the self-interest cliques do a lot of scheming.