Well, it's not often you see a minor party supporting both labor and the libs, but this is exactly what Bob Katters, Katters Austrailian Party has done, in pledging it's support for labor.

You see, one of the problems for the libs was always the likes of Bobs party, as his party threatened to take a portion of the conservative vote away from them, they being those who didnt want to vote for the libs, but most certainly wouldn't vote for labor.

With Bob Katters announcement that he was going to offer his preferences to labor, not only would i guarantee his members are lining up in their droves to resiegn, but his announcement has put his party in the unique position of supporting labor, while also assisting the libs at the same time, in other words, supporting both major parties at once.

Eh rehctub?

I don’t get it.

How is Katter supporting the Libs??

Ludwig, he is supporting the libs by not taking away a portion of their conservative vote, something that was always going to be a concern with the minor parties such as his and Clive's

It truly is a unique situation in my view.

I was a member myself until yesterday.

If you have a close look at Bob Katter, you find on many issues he is closer to conservative Labor than he is to the outright conservatism of the Liberal right. Katter will often support government intervention when he see's it as a (necessary) advantage for his constituency.
Butch, as a Green I like Bob, find his down to earth and genuine, if he improved his image on social justice issues I could actually vote for him. Well if The Katter Party is out with you, then there is always One Nation.

I like Katter too, it is a pity he is not smarter.

He has really fallen for the global warming scam, whereas the left only use it to try to gain an edge.

His response to coal seam gas is totally emotive. If he was rational, & did a thorough investigation of the physics & chemistry involved it could be very advantageous to the rest of us. I find it impossible to get clean facts, from either side of the argument, rather than posturing on coal seam exploitation, which makes a rational evaluation impossible.

Unfortunately I get the feeling his stand on it is about compensation, rather than fear of damage to underground water. It makes so much sense to harvest the gas, rather than dig up the paddock to get the coal, that I like the idea, but The lack of real data on possible water table damage scares the whatnot out of me.

Going all emotive, rather than scientific is where he lost me.

On my ballot I am preferencing Katter over both Labor and the Libs because of his opposition to coal seam gas extraction. Like his rural constituency he does not want the destruction of the agricultural potential of the land for a few year's profit and supply of energy. That is a far more important issue than what either Rudd or Abbott are blathering about.

Dear hasbeen,

I would also prefer rational evaluation, but we're not going to get it. The CSG industry will not reveal precisely what chemicals they are pumping into the ground. We don't know the geometry of the aquifers. I don't think we know enough to make a rational evaluation therefore it seems better to play it safe as the consequences could be horrific.

As far as I can see Katter is pissin' in his own hat. All he's doing is splitting the vote so that even the drovers dog has a chance based on which way the wind blows. It is sad to see a man go slowly but surely insane.

I have received three emails from KAP after resigning my membership.

They tell me it's all confusion pitn n place by the libs.

At the end of the day, KAP have given some preferences to what I regard as the worst government in my time and as far as I am concerned, one preference vote, is ome too many.

Given their speedy response to my email, same day, I would suggest I am not alone and all the hard work done by Bob and his team has been squashed in one fowl move.

Stupid, stupid mistake!

As I say insanity IS contagious and I am led to believe that even Bod Head is now too small for his hat.

Dear rehctub,

You wrote: "Given their speedy response to my email, same day, I would suggest I am not alone and all the hard work done by Bob and his team has been squashed in one fowl move."

They have been playing chicken.

I draw all attention to the utter stupidity of the senate ticket,
http://andrewbartlett.com/?p=8086

Yes, david f., I noticed that too.

Reminded me of runner and his wedding "vowels".

(Sorry, rehctub, some typo's are more humorous than others)

I don't understand these types of responses, yes, there may have been a typo, but seriously, there must be thousands of disillusioned voters out there, who were backing Bob Katter, but now find themselves in no mans land, because Bob has given some preferences to labor.

Perhaps this is why OLO is becoming so boring. Lack of real debate.

Dear rehctub,

What Katter stands for is more important than who he gives preferences to. When the Libs had a dinner and honoured guests were Rupert Murdoch and Gina Rinehart I knew I could not vote for the Libs. Their agenda will be in part determined by Rinehart and Murdoch. Their interests are not my interests.

I regard Katter as a man who in some respects is rooted to the past. I also regard him as essentially more decent and honest than the heads of the two major parties. In Kidd's book on the treatment of the Aborigines he was recognised as the only member of the Bjelke-Peterson government who dealt fairly and honestly with the Aborigines. He recognises the threat to the environment of coal seam gas. In contrast Rudd in his previous incarnation referred to climate change as the moral challenge of the age and then did nothing about it. Abbott called climate change crap. During Gillard's government Burke declared National Parks in the oceans surrounding Australia thus preserving fisheries and limiting the destruction of the oceans. Yes, Gillard and Katter are both superior to the noogieheads who currently head the major parties.

On my ballot I will put the Greens first, Katter's candidate next and preference Labor over the Libs in hopes that the good things Gillard did won't be completely destroyed.

rehctub,

You must know that to "relieve" the boredom around here, sometimes we have a bit of a giggle over our typos...we all make them.

In fact the other day I resisted the urge to have a dig at you for this:

"but shawly a working system would have been easier to tweet, than throwing a working system out and starting again, effectively opening the flood gates."

I'm sorry, but reading "surely" spelled as "shawly" started me twitching.

That wasn't a typo. that was you being too lazy to use spell-check.