Equitist wrote on Jun 5
th, 2011 at 12:00pm:
matty wrote on Jun 5
th, 2011 at 11:43am:
Good on him. It's ironic, seeing that he was the only true independent in the House of Reps, but he is fair dinkum, true to his constituents and actually seems to care about Australia and its people. Come next election, there will be NO independents in the House of Reps.
What makes you so sure of that!?
Is it not equally likely that many local communities will be excited by the opportunity for greater self-empowerment and political influence at the national level - including focus on addressing local issues of infrastructure deficits and socio-economic disadvantage - as has been delivered by the example of those Independents who enabled the formation of the current minority federal govt!?
Heck, there's even a fairly good chance that the existing independents will be returned to office!
There were only four "independents", Tony Windsor, Andrew Wilkie, Rob Oakeshott and Bob Katter. Now there are three. Tony Crook is a WA National, and Adam Bandt a Green. They won't be re-elected. IMO, Wilson Tuckey or a new Lib wll win back the seat. The Libs won't give preferences to Badnt next election.
Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott have betrayed their electorates, and will not be re-elected. The voters demonstrated that in Port Macquarie and Tamworth. Both independents (who lose their seats) received hndreds of calls saying that people who voted for the independents at the Federal election felt betrayed, and from now on, would only ever vote for the Nats, in the state and federally.