Just let me know when you would like to come out doughnutting with me, daggett, and I'll stick the boot into the old coach and four and we'll lay some rubber around a few Sections of the Commonwealth Electoral Act! (I speak figuratively, of course, as everybody knows horseshoes and coach tyres are made of wrought iron.)

I wouldn't like to think that "The Big Engine that Could - A Tale of the Days of Steam" had diverted attention from the positively excellent revelations of inconsistency as between various State premiers and presumed Labor aspirations to power federally that you are achieving. Let me know if you feel Gordy's experiences detract from the thread, and I'll see to it that he is only allowed out on other lines. I just felt that viewers, users, lurkers and (possibly) shirkers should all be aware of the prospects of censorship, even here on OLO, when the interests or even significance, of the Fat Controllers is exposed.

And believe me, you are threatening to expose them as much, if not more, than I through your documenting of the paradoxical behaviour of what are presented as being members of the same 'team'. I do not claim any alliegance to that team myself, and so have no vested interest in defending one as opposed to another in this charade. Nor do I take the opportunity to illuminate these paradoxes myself for partisan purposes.

The key to understanding the paradoxes lies in gaining an understanding of the mechanics whereby candidates across the entire political spectrum may get declared to have been elected.

Belly's a good forward in thugby league Team Labor. He gets knocked down, but he gets up again, you'll never ever keep him down. He gets knocked down, ........ Belly is right about one thing. There have been elections relatively recently in all these States. The questions Belly, and everybody else, need to ask is "were those election results untainted by manipulation?", and "how much manipulation need be present to totally control an outcome in my Division, State, or nation?

Well I once was a thugby? forward, my sport now is verbal tennis.
Latham? well my claims are true and why would I debate further, he will be dragged out by Johny short bottoms short on truth mob soon enough.
Now did I hear right? Labor only got elected because the other mob are worse? no contest quite true!
But that being true how bad would they be in government?
Never know will we voters spoke in every state and territory.
And are about to make it a full house.

"Don't let Peter Beattie save John Howard's political hide"

If you believe the AC Neilson poll today (which John Howard obviously does) it shows that Kevin Rudd will win 17 seats in Qld.

Enough to form Govt. from Qld alone. So sorry Daggett you are incorrect, Peter Beattie has swung votes to the ALP.

ruawake, I don't follow your logic. I get the swing indication, but I fail to see how you can chalk that up to Beattie's efforts.

ruawake,

I just hope that the AC Nielsen poll is right (or at least right in the sense that not more than 45% will be voting for the Coalition - I consider that an astonishingly good result for Howard given the abysmal record of himself and his lazy, spiteful and incompetent government, notwithstanding Beattie and all of Labor's other obvious shortcomings).

Whatever the truth of the matter, it defies logic that the support that Federal Labor seems to maintain in Queensland could possibly be the result of the appalling antics of Beattie and Fraser. Perhaps, on this occasion, voters may just be astute to understand the distinction between Federal Labor and Queensland state Labor that I have tried to explain in this forum discussion. After all, Rudd has at least made his opposition to the forced amalgamations known (of course, not anywhere nearly as strongly as he should have).

Wherever the truth may lie,it would be folly for those who wish to get rid of John Howard's odious government in 2007 to allow the AC Nielsen poll to cause themselves to become complacent about the issue of the forced council amalgamations. Every decent democratic-minded opponent of John Howard should also make a point of doing whatever they possibly can to support rural and regional Queenslanders in their fight against Beattie's dictatorial actions.

For my part I have put my thoughts on this matter in an article entitled "Will John Howard save democracy in Queensland?" at http://candobetter.org/node/146.

Check out Independent MP Peter Andren's Media Release:


http://candobetter.org/node/148 http://candobetter.org/NoForcedAmalgamations
http://www.peterandren.com

Howard's paper thin hypocrisy on amalgamations

Media Release

Thursday 16 August 2007

The Coalition Government has exposed its hypocrisy on council amalgamations with its current attack on the Queensland Government according to Independent Member for Calare, Peter Andren.

"When I took a delegation of local mayors to Canberra several years ago to see then Local Government Minister Wilson Tuckey, he was enthusiastic about the need for mergers of councils," Mr Andren said.

"Evans, Oberon and Bathurst Councils were then facing amalgamation and he voiced strong support for amalgamations in the interests of better council management.

"Both Liberal and Labor Governments have never backed away from such policy.

"The Prime Minister talks of giving people a say in the process. How come the limited public input into the recent federal electorate boundary changes was largely ignored, especially from people strongly opposed to the ridiculous boundaries for the new Calare?

"There are no referendums for state or federal boundary changes, why the concern over local government boundaries determined by the same commission process?

"This is pure unadulterated election year populism from a government that is philosophically at one with any state labor Government in wanting to wind down local government to a more politically controllable entity.

"I personally oppose council amalgamations unless there are overwhelming financial reasons that will benefit ratepayers. But the major parties are as one in their desire to reduce local people power.

"Wilson Tuckey proved that when he was federal Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government," Mr Andren said.

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Peter Andren is the popular Independent Federal MP representing the NSW rural electorate of Calare. Peter Andren had announced his nomination as a candidate for the state of NSW in the forthcoming Senate elections. However, he has since been diagnosed as having cancer so has been forced to withdraw his nomination so that he can focus his energies on treatment for the condition and recovery.

For further information: 02 6332 6229 or 0427 480 825 or visit http://www.peterandren.com