I think all preferences should detracted from the primary vote...why should a Labor government be allowed to desperately squander more money in order to grapple for a leadership they clearly don't deserve?

It's the only sensible thing to do.

Because should we head back to the polls, it's clear, the Labor party wont win anyway.

The only thing Labor had going for them were the Greens how-to-vote cards...without these, they wouldn't have stood a chance.

Would have been a Liberal victory.

Again, the Australian people have already decided, Gillard reminds me of one of those 'red faces' performers who have been gonged off the stage, though keep on performing.

Booo, hiss, Booo, take a hint ALP!

Australia don't want you.

Not even your own want you...being the dysfunctional little arrangements that you be.

the ALP  is a sham.

They said it

Three blokes from the backblocks: Bob Katter, Rob Oakeshott, and Tony Windsor

Sometimes colourful, sometimes controversial, Australia's new political stars are three blokes from the backblocks who aren't afraid to call it as they see it.

Here are Bob Katter, Rob Oakeshott, and Tony Windsor in their own words.

On forming a government

"Many times I've gone to bed as a cockle doodle doo and woke up the next morning as a feather duster - this might be one of those times."
- Independent Queensland MP Bob Katter

"She hasn't done that before."
- Independent New South Wales MP Tony Windsor on Julia Gillard calling him to congratulate him on Saturday's win

"He sounded a bit frantic really."
- Tony Windsor on receiving a late night phone message from Tony Abbott

"We have similar backgrounds and we've agreed that we simply book in a room, close the door and not be taken advantage of by all you cunning media people and determine a responsible course of conduct to which we can move forward."
- Bob Katter

"If it's up to me, then the gong goes to whoever's going to give us the right to survive and I couldn't care less whether they're the Labor Party, the Liberal Party or the callithumpian mongoloid party."
- Bob Katter

"I've worked with people that I loathe and detest, I've worked with them in the past - whatever can get a good outcome for our areas."
- Bob Katter

"I don't have to pick a red team or a blue team, I don't have to pick Julia or Tony."
- Independent New South Wales MP Rob Oakeshott

"We can make this work I think if the major parties actually move away from this dog against dog attitude that they've had through the election campaign and look to the national interest on this."
- Tony Windsor

"The burden is heavy and there are many factors in the choices that are going to have to be made."
- Rob Oakeshott

On the Nationals

"I've never been in parliament as a National, I gave up smoking about the same time [and] I've rid myself of two cancers."
- Tony Windsor

"I won't get into the antics of what went on then."
- Tony Windsor on his Nationals pre-selection battle in 1991

"The National Party is a dying party."
- Tony Windsor

"You got about two hours?"
- Bob Katter, when asked why he left the Nationals

"I was a square peg in a round hole from day one."
- Rob Oakeshott on his time in the National Party

Friends and enemies

Saturday's stoush

During Saturday's election coverage, Nationals leader Warren Truss told ABC Radio that Mr Katter had reserved most of his venom in the past for the Nationals. He also said Mr Katter was an unreliable parliamentarian who missed more divisions than he attended.

Mr Katter has been quick to bite back:

"Warren Truss was the leader - he attacked me personally last night and Barnaby Joyce in a similar piece of incredible unfortunateness as far as the Liberal Party goes, very unfair to them."

"I thought the provocations by Barnaby Joyce and Warren Truss were not very clever."

"The National Party leader made a personal attack upon me and I think if Tony Abbott was watching he would have had a very big difficulty with what was said and Julia Gillard would have had a smile on her face ... I can almost see Tony Abbott grinding his teeth - with friends like these who needs enemies?"

Tony Windsor versus Barnaby Joyce

"I don't deal with fools terribly lightly, and I think under any definition the man's a fool."
- Tony Windsor on Barnaby Joyce

"I won't be dealing with him, I don't like the guy. The way in which he was trying to give gratuitous advice in terms of a hung parliament [on Saturday], when he had the balance of power in the Senate [in 2005] and then sold the country out on the sale of Telstra was an indication of just where he stands in terms of country issues."
- Tony Windsor on Barnaby Joyce

"Well, they're in a position of incredible strength so that being the case they have a shooting licence to say whatever they like at the moment."
- Barnaby Joyce on Tony Windsor

On rural survival

"We're not allowed to fish much at all. We're not allowed to go camping or shooting - or even boiling the billy. We've got a terrible problem with deadly flying foxes. They're going to kill many more people than taipan snakes do in Australia. Rural Australia is closing down."
- Bob Katter

"Now the boot will be on the other foot, maybe, as far as I'm concerned. There's no point having power if you don't use the power."
- Bob Katter on getting a better deal for his rural constituents

On broadband

"[It's] written on the back of a cigarette paper."
- Tony Windsor on Labor's NBN policy

"A privatised broadband, I mean, please, don't even talk about it, privatised Telstra has been absolutely disastrous for rural Australia."
- Bob Katter

FYI, the 4 key independents are currently speaking at the National Press Club - at a Get-Up sponsored event that was organised prior to the election...

For coverage, turn to ABC24...

skippy. wrote on Aug 25^th, 2010 at 1:29pm:



I suspect not.

This situation, as it is, is unworkable.  I believe, and posted this on my forum after the weekend, that we should return to the polls and give a party a mandate to govern.  Which ever that may be.

While all four independents will do the best they can (and should) for their electorates, party politics is often required for big picture governing.

This is the long established principle of the cabinet.

The major reason the GALP failed so miserably in the election was due to the maniacal policies pumped out in short order without consultation with cabinet.  The 'gang of four' were so out of touch withe community at large, and out of touch even with their parliamentary colleagues.

But while Bob Katter is focussed on his tarrifs (or whatever is bouncing around inside his bonce) it may be hard to get a policy on, say, asylum shoppers, through parliament.