How Independent?

Is it starting to dawn on you: Who the hell are these guys?  The Three Amigos? The triumvirate, exercising political muscle beyond their wildest dreams, to decide not only who will run the Government for the next three years but what sort of government they will run? Their wish list, the Seven deadly sins, insists that whomever  gets/wins/cajoles/buys their vote must guarantee  his or her government will run a full three years until August 2013. And  Gillard and Abbott have agreed with obscene haste.
 
Now, I think a set term is great. A four-year term would be even better. But shouldn’t that be put to a referendum for all Australians at the next election?
None of these guys wants to be a member of Cabinet apparently and none wants to be Speaker because that would neuter their power but they all want to be powerbrokers and you wonder where the wish list will end.

Now Bob Katter is talking about redrawing the borders of Queensland and the Northern Territory and turning the NT into a state called North-Western Australia. Not a bad idea either but should that be a bargaining chip as we lurch through this crisis?

And you wonder what the country voters in the electorates of Kennedy, New England and Wynne are thinking as the men they elected on Saturday are flirting with Julia Gillard.

A Galaxy poll taken in the electorates of Katter, Windsor and Oakeshott shows that in all three, not surprisingly as they are all former National seats,  overwhelmingly the punters want an Abbott government.

To the question: Would you support your local member backing Tony Abbott the result was  55% in favour, 37% against and 8% uncommitted.

To a similar Gillard question the answer was only 37% in favour, 54% against and 9% uncommitted.

How much sway with that have on the trio who all headed home to their electorates today? They can swagger and say ‘I’m an Independent’ but they have to face the voters in three years’ time and even earlier of a cobbled together Government falls apart after six months or a year.

Independents know more than any politicians how tough it is to be elected and even tougher to be re-elected.

That’s got to have some influence. But as Tony Windsor keeps reminding us: He’d be a fool to pick an early horse. Especially if some close seats fall unexpectedly the other way and  the horse he’s backed prematurely suddenly loses.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

© Copyright Derryn Hinch 2010