"For me, it's not about philosophy, it's all about the numbers.": Glenn Druery. Credit:James Alcock The alliance is an unlikely patchwork of up to 30 single-issue and little-known parties from across the political spectrum. It facilitates preference deals that can magnify a minuscule primary vote into a seat in Parliament. Election experts such as the ABC's Antony Green and the independent senator Nick Xenophon call it ''gaming'' the system. The alliance calls it a punch on the nose of the ''anti-democratic'' major parties. The ringmaster of the alliance is Mr Druery, the enigmatic political operative considered the ''Rain Man'' of preference deals. His importance is such that hopefuls such as Mr Dropulich will fly 4000 kilometres from Perth to Mr Druery's local bowling club to be part of the meeting. ''With me, it's not about philosophy, it's all about the numbers,'' Mr Druery tells the meeting.

To succeed in the alliance, political philosophy must be parked at the door. No other forum brings the Sex Party and the Australian Christians together under one roof - although both parties routinely give away any chance of election by refusing to deal with each other. Others are more pragmatic. Robert Brown, the Shooters and Fishers Party's state MP, takes a seat next to veteran dealmaker Graham Askey of the Help End Marijuana Prohibition Party. Natural Medicine sits beside Freedom and Prosperity - formerly the No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics Party. Sustainable Population is alongside the Australian Democrats. There are apologies from the Sex Party, WikiLeaks, Bullet Train, Voluntary Euthanasia, Animal Justice, Single Parents, Australian Voice and the Fishing and Lifestyle Party. They will take part in ongoing preference negotiations before group voting tickets are submitted in Western Australia by noon Saturday. Two of the stars of the alliance are Keith Littler, founder of the Motoring Enthusiast Party- which could share the balance of power in the Senate with Palmer United - and Mr Dropulich.

Mr Dropulich knows the value of the alliance. Standing for the Senate in WA, he almost made it to Canberra on the smallest primary vote in Australian history - pulling just 2997 votes, or 0.23 per cent of the primary vote. He managed to get himself a position high up the preference list of other micros through a mixture of beginner's luck and his middle-of-the-road pitch. Who can object to the promotion of sport? Mr Druery, who speaks solidly for more than an hour, starts by explaining the mechanism for getting elected to the Senate: reaching a quota of 14.29 per cent of the vote. ''None of you in this room will pull a quota [on primary vote]. None of you. I know over the years some of you have thought you might, but none of you will,'' he says. ''If you do not stick together, you will fail.'' Mr Druery has one rule: ''Don't rat each other. I've pointed out at every meeting: If you rat, you do not get another invitation, no second chance.'' One Nation has been banned from the alliance for backing out of preference swap deals in September.

Mr Druery has dealt ruthlessly with other ''rats'', including leaving a voicemail message on a female candidate's phone saying: ''I will have a writ up your arse so quick you won't see the f---ing sunshine, lady.'' She took the message to the press. It becomes clear during the meeting that Mr Druery is also the key go-between for the major parties and the minors. He brings messages from Labor, the Greens, the Liberal Party and the Nationals. In WA, he sees an opportunity in doing a deal with the ALP, who he predicts will pull just over two quotas and therefore ''distribute'' preferences. ''[Labor] is going to have a healthy little surplus to give you,'' he says. ''What they are looking for is insurance. They are nervous. They want to get their two senators up. They have asked me to pass on to this group the view that they are interested in dealing with some of you before the Greens.'' The Greens have already called on Labor publicly to abandon any deals with the alliance.