Re: Where will you be election day (September 14th)
And no the vitriol is that they went against what they obviously knew was the will of the people and backed this Govt...
The "will of the people" was that they (Rob, Tony, Bob, etc. LIKE EVERY OTHER MEMBER) were chosen to be their representative in the federal parliament. End of Story! If they had said "in the case of a hung parliament I will support the most right-wing party" or "climate change is bunkum and I will bring in petrol subsidies", then their electorates could have some reasonable grounds for complaint. As far as I know they told no pre-election lies and if not supporting Tony Abbott is their biggest sin then they are going straight to heaven!
.. Do you know what seminal legislation they were responsible for that changed all our lives?? i know they helped back Julia bringing that tax she lied to us all about??
Boy oh boy. You like it three ways don't you? Tony, Rob, Adam and Andrew (I believe ... could be wrong) made a carbon tax a condition of their support. "But I promised the electorate that it would not happen under a government I lead." complained Julia. "Suck it up!" said the independents. And suck it up she did. The only mistake she made was assuming the electorate was smart enough to see why she reneged on her previous position and the "Juliar" morons would soon go back to polishing their rockets in front of the mirror. Never underestimate the stupidity of the electorate.
BTW - how do you rate a "lie" like the carbon-tax promise with a "lie" like children overboard???
.. \1. They wanted to play around in the heady environs of Govt and be taken somewhat more seriously because of their new found influence rather than just some anonymous independent warming a seat, so responding to a bit of their own ambition and ego - Ok, well i'm glad you got your play, did it fulfil all your visions of being a big deal and making your mark on the country? I don't know what good they actually did, do you think most of the electorate do (??) and will they be more remembered for keeping this Govt/circus in power than any good they did? Anyone with any common sense over that period must have felt some acute embarrassment and wonder what sort of nuthouse they had hitched their reputation too..
Whichever side they picked they would have been playing around in the heady environs of Govt, as you put it, so that statement is only worth responding to because it perfectly encapsulates your FOX News attitude to politics. They have had significant input to legislation and won a better deal for regional Australia. I suspect they same would have been the case if they had chosen TA over JG, don't you?
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.. 2. Being close to power and waving your influential vote got you some pork for your local electorate - Well i suppose it did, but what creditibility did you have to trade for that and did it do any larger good for the country and did it make you popular with your own voters? The country looks likely to decide that the Govt didn't deliver and could well turf it out in a landslide so the Australian electorate are going to give that a big fail, and it looks like you will struggle to hold your seat so you have hardly entranced your local voters with the pork... Looking like a double fail, which is hardly anything to hold your head up about is it? Or put on your resume?..
Au contraire - you deride them for backing the "wrong side" whilst winning gains for their constituents and the country, and rejoice to think that they will be turfed out at the next election for it. THAT is a double-fail.
.. 3. You didn't much like your former associates and were happy to stick it to them a bit - well good on you for that..
Am I the only person on the planet that saw the post-election documentary about how the 3 amigos came to their decision? OK - let me fill you in. Tony Abbott was very much in the box seat to form government but was too arrogant or complacent or perhaps just not skillful enough to close the deal. The first to break ranks was Bob Katter who admitted that he would support TA come what may, but TW and RO continued to negotiate with both sides but eventually found JG to be more reasonable to deal with (and maybe more trustworthy than the wall-puncher, but I digress).
.. 4. You genuinely thought you knew better than all the electorate what was best and were happy to play the king maker role rather than give it back to the people at any time over the last 3 years of what you would hardly call the most sane, reputable, effective, collegial attempt at governing - Ok, fine you can play that role, but as i said on your head be the results... I think the electorate has given this minority Govt low marks consistently throughout its tenure and its winding down towards the opportunity to have the say that it has been wanting but unable to have for that period.. Their choices will be the verdict i guess on whether they give the two independents a pass or a fail..
It is very simple but sometimes repitition is the best way to get through. Works with three-year-olds. The independents are pretty comfortable with representing their electorate, and they were popular enough to do so without needing to have the endorsement of one of the political parties. After the last election they were put in the unusual position of needing to assist one side or the other to form government. Instead of throwing up their hands like headless chooks and saying "Oh no - we have to have another election", they instead chose to accept the role thay had been given. Again I ask you - what have they done since that has so offended you APART FROM NOT CHOOSING TONY ABBOTT?
