John Macarthur, a soldier of fortune and rum dealer, the founder of the Australian wool industry? ...please oh please ... why don't you check the historical details before you continue with the male orientated history of this country.

The simple relatively obscure fact is Elizabeth Macarthur imported sheep into Australia. She was the daughter of English sheep farmers.

Great critical analysis. I have personal favourites such as Bass and Eden-Monaro.

As election night wears on and the TV becomes more blurry I'm often found to be bleeting Baaaass, Baaaas.

It would have been good to look at the swings required in the 'bellweather' seats.

Keith

I was just about to jump in on behalf of Elizabeth MacArthur, but you saved me the trouble. In fact, due to hubby's disgrace and lengthy exile, as well as his battles with mental illness (depression and paranoia), she virtually ran the whole show.

If Howard's bell weather sheep leads his white-armband flock to victory, future history syllabuses will ensure that the amazing Liz M. remains entrenched somewhere between obscurity and oblivion, along with all the other God's whores and damned police.

I fear that both MLK and keith are applying current standards to history, instead of the standards of the time. In 1807, all achievements (and possessions) of a wife were considered to be the property of the husband. However I would concur with them in their praise of Elizabeth Macarthur, who would have to be one of the most admirable people in early Sydney.

John Macarthur, I believe, is rightly celebrated as one of the most important formative figures in New South Wales history, as not only did he lead a successful rebellion against the Crown, (for which he was not punished at all), but the moral values he laid down as leader of the New South Wales Corps have been followed by most NSW governments, and particularly their Treasury Departments, ever since.

In the light of the financial principles he laid down, it would seem a pity that he had not been of Russian ancestry and called Constantine von Rippemoff. Perhaps the only time he came off second best was his encounter with Surgeon Harris, where he scored an own goal by getting the indictment wrong when he arranged for Harris to appear before a kangaroo court staffed by Corps members. He did this by dating the accusation on the "19th ultimo" instead of the "19th instant", and even the packed court felt they had to acquit. Harris later used the name Ultimo for his estate near Sydney.

As a result, considering Macarthur's political genius and his ability to blow with the wind and come up smelling like a rose, I consider that it is very appropriate that the seat of Macarthur should be the best bell-wether seat in the election.

What was true in 1807 was changed with the NSW Married Womans Property act. Oh yes another unrecognised woman was behind that piece of legislation. Lawson, Louisa. She had a son Henry and there was a seat named after him and all he did was write, booze and womanise. I wonder why-ever it was abolished ... perhaps he wasn't a wether?

Look at all those bellwethers: (John I think your slip deliberate and was not Freudian)

John, Robert, Ludwig, Billy, Norman, Sir John, Norman, Alfred, Frank, Andrew, Black Jack, ... Louisa... What? An error for sure, David, Burt, Charles, an obscure English Earl, Alfred, William, and finally Sir Eagle.

(Yep In case you are wondering, Friday afternoons are really boring.)

After this election I am going to campaign for all future Federal Electorates to be named after women. Care to join me MLK? We might even get some balanced belles.

John I do agree with your assessment and have copied your list so on election night I'll be keeping tally from it.

John Cherry makes a typographical error in repeating Deakin twice in his list, perhaps where meaning Dickson in place of one.
Also my understanding is that Victoria has no marginal seats this time around and as a consequence to date has had no 'pork' offered by either major party. Then again a marginal this time around may not necessarily be a bellwhether.
There is a serious side to this psephology. As a Newcastle resident a great deal of angst is felt by local voters that virtually all local federal seats are very safe Labor and that the region has suffered as a consequence.