SO much reference to Rob's decision speech being too long. what a joke. it was only 17 minutes to here one of the most important decisions for decades. It shows the level of attention span of the average news junky is dangerously brief. We waited 17 days for this decision. 17 minutes really is not that insufferable. Children!.

The reason that people are complaining is that he's only entitled to 15 minutes of fame.

Seriously, it was his moment and he milked it for all it was worth. He may be an Independent, but he's still a politician.

I have not changed over night I proudly remain a Labor tragic.
And I live not far from Oakshots seat.
Said it before the settlement say it again he, and for that matter Windsor are much loved much trusted and with no doubt honest men.
What ever they do, where ever they take us, they will continue to be, independents.
A focus on the silliness around them yesterday a member of the Liberal party's spares bench the National party stood in frot of an unquestioning media and TOLD LIES.
He claimed 95% read under stand, of both seats are conservative voters.
These two and like it or not Katter count Labor voters in their votes and no seat none in this country has near that figure of conservatives.
The new fashion seems to lie and some fool will believe you.

What a mind-blowing position to be in for Rob Oakeshott. The other two independents had declared their hands, so it was up to him to either put Labor in power or give Labor and the Coalition 75 seats each and send everyone into a real spinout!

I think under the circumstances that we should not be at all critical of him for drawing out and dramatising this great moment in his life and in the history of Australian politics.

Plenty of criticism should be levelled elsewhere though, regarding the lack of policy from both major parties and the flaws in our system that could allow such a ridiculous situation to arise.

He would have been well advised to have kept it brief, & sharp. Something to the point, & giving his reasons would have been good.

As it was, all he did with his waffle, was highlight that he is a bit thick, & definitely not someone you would chose to have in the position the election put him.

I hope his thinking is clearer when his mouth is shut, than it proved to be when it was open. It would be nice to think that someone in that position was smart enough to be able to understand the issues they will vote on.

MPs like him are a good recommendation for the two party system, with most members doing as told.

Belly,

While I admire your robust support of your new found allies, the reality is that in these electorates Labor and the greens came a distant 4th and fifth in these electorates with combined totals of 15% or less. A poll post election in these electorates overwhelmingly favoured a coalition government.

While they enjoy a lot of personal support, they have made themselves vulnerable to attacks, and if this is successful their support can drain away very quickly, as it did with Kevin Rudd.