2017 Bennelong By-Election - LIBERAL RETAIN

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tandino said:
For what it's worth, I've always thought that the maverick backbencher has more appeal in the electorate than the cabinet minister, all things being equal.
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Indeed. Even people like Katter or Bandt who have no claim on power succeed where their view accords with the local community.

In that respect, Alexander is a perfect member for Bennelong.
 

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tandino said:
For what it's worth, I've always thought that the maverick backbencher has more appeal in the electorate than the cabinet minister, all things being equal.
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It really depends on the seat, rural seats seem to like having a maverick backbencher however seasons in inner Melbourne or Sydney seem to like their MP's to have power and to wield it.
 
Looking at the comment

"The doctor at the time said, 'You have eligibility for a disabled sticker'. I said, 'I still have some pride,'" Mr Alexander said. "That was before I entered politics."

Many disabled people hate being disabled so they are often not fans of welfare but if you really look at the comment he has basically said that his current job lacks any pride so one has to ask why the heck is he in politics.

Either way he is a knob but anyone that ever listened to his tennis coverage may have already known that.
 
Collingwoodity said:
I still think Shorten will win next year but it is going to be a lot closer than some think. Dastyari has done Malcolm a big favour.
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It's like some bizzaro backwards world where the opposition has done much of the policy agenda setting this term and now are at greater risk of implosion than the sitting government.

Dastyari could just be the first cab off the rank - both parties are petrified of a federal ICAC so both must have some pretty serious skeletons in the closet.
 
Mofra said:
It's like some bizzaro backwards world where the opposition has done much of the policy agenda setting this term and now are at greater risk of implosion than the sitting government.

Dastyari could just be the first cab off the rank - both parties are petrified of a federal ICAC so both must have some pretty serious skeletons in the closet.
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The government's election campaign is going to be pretty simple, pinch the populist parts of ALP and ON policy, rebrand it as their own and then go after Shorten like they did Gillard. I still don't think it will work for them.
 

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AM said:
Possibly. However, in the bigger picture, he's been a back-bencher for quite some time without showing he's ever going to be more than that.
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King Brown said:
Depending on the electorate, this can be a positive.
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AM said:
I'm not so sure. I think most people want a polly that has a role close to the seat of power where he/she can exert some real influence.
My feeling is the Tories went for a celebrity after McKew did over Howard. They just got a not overly bright one.
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AM said:
And as I suggested - to put it colloquially - most would prefer a local member who is in the game with the talent to affect the play. Rather than someone not up to it shouting from the sidelines. Being a good local member should be a matter-of-course.
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King Brown said:
Is there any evidence that people prefer that?
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There is an electorate next to me that is the perfect example of the evolution of local MP to Power, and what it means for the locals - Warringah. Long seen as a safe seat there is one very good reason for that as the seat has transitioned into a mix of american style liberals thru to social conservatives. It is far more marginal than people imagine and held together by a common thread...respect for Tony Abbott. Not for his politics, not for his social leanings, but for his contribution locally. At a local level he is a rabid dog....things just get done before they even make the local papers. Its like having a big brother with a baseball bat who never seems to use it. Nothing tyrannical, not even in the slightest...just someone in the background with a steam roller if ever required. He doesnt force his socio-religious leanings or even go so far as to mention them much....the mantra is individual freedom to think however you want. I do respect him for that. Locals love that s**t...nothing pisses them off more than big govt getting in their face. They pay an enormous amount of tax as an electorate, and in general they understand they will never get anything in return because the priorities are always out west with population growth. His electorate is part of the nations silent engine room, and Abbott plays it like a fiddle.

When you have a particularly strong local member who earns respect thru action it transcends party politics. In fact i reckon if you could somehow remove the religion and ancillary moral codes from the equation, he'd likely be a huge favorite in most electorates around the country. Things just get done, and without fanfare, controversy or the slightest whiff of corruption.

As many have said, you meet him even for a second amongst 20 people around a bbq and you like the guy. I reckon his electorate votes for him even when they totally disagree with his stance on things like SSM. The only social-religious issue his electorate seems to value is the FREEDOM to express it. He has a remarkably liberal seat in the true sense of the word, and the people know that if something is important locally, it will simply get done.

As an example of strong local representation, it is remarkable how many still remember him rocking up to a local protest 20 yrs ago where a telecoms tower was approved next to a kindergarten. He got out of the car emptied a mini bus load of press and people with placards, had a few words to say then got in the car and left. Issue over. It had gone past council and no state pollie was doing a damn thing. The bloke earnt the respect he enjoys in that seat.

He might be a particulalry strong or unusual federal MP to be using as an example, but the point is what did his electorate gain from him being more than just a backbencher ? At one point recently you could drive 30mins thru the seat of the NSW premier, along thru the Speaker of the House, past the Prime Ministers office and into the Treasurers domain. Did that concentration of power at BOTH state and federal level deliver anything to the electorates ? The answer is YES, but probably still less than you might imagine.

No pollie can risk an accusation of pork barreling these days...so if you want to do something you simply must be smart about it. For 30 yrs a site earmarked for an overdue hospital remained in limbo. In 2015 it was miraculously approved. Whilst it is a state issue most truly believe it was Abbott who massaged it through with Bairds help. Both Baird and Abbott ran a tightrope of a pork barreling accusations but nobody took it seriously as it had became an absolute necessity. Then came the other political football, the Spit Bridge upgrade. It was a running joke that every MP or opposition MP would pretend they were battling for it...for 30yrs or more. It got approved by Baird with the highly likely assistance of Abbott. Like many i'll believe it when i see it...such is the cynicism that surrounds this age old running joke and political football. Why bother when there has never been a vote in it.

So in a nutshell i guess it DOES matter if your local MP is a somebody or a nobody. They will run a gauntlet of pork barreling accusations for so much as a new shopping mall approval, but in terms of major infrastructure projects it does seem to help. What you will get though is still absolutely miniscule by comparison with a strong local member in a far more marginal seat/area of rapid population growth.

Much depends on how the individual thinks...are they happy to put aside several things they dislike in their local MP to get a true beast that gets things done for their constituents. In a perfect world it shouldnt be so much about your political leanings...it should be about who will achieve the most for your community at state and federal level. Do we live in a perfect world ? Can we ignore the fact he is islamic and hates homsexuals ? Can we ignore the fact he might knight some old fart married to the Queen ?
There are thousands happily lying in wait for the chance to be just another political leech warming the bench...afterall, even a tennis player can do John Alexander's job.
 
Last edited:
Collingwoodity said:
I still think Shorten will win next year but it is going to be a lot closer than some think. Dastyari has done Malcolm a big favour.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Agree and the ALP wouldn't have been expecting to gain Bennenlong instead their focus would have been elsewhere, the positive for the ALP in not winning Bennenlong is that they wont need to spend resources trying to defend a normal Liberal seat at the expense of the real marginals.
 

Also

Philip's and Friends' Political Analysis & Satire
1 hr ·
Mark Taylor to stand for Liberals for Bennelong #auspol #ausvotes

Liberal sources have confirmed that former Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor has agreed to stand for the seat of Bennelong when John Alexander retires at the next election.

Evidently the local Liberal branches are unhappy with Taylor being parachuted into the electorate ahead of local candidates.

:(
Love Tubby in the box
 
NSWCROW said:
Liberal sources have confirmed that former Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor has agreed to stand for the seat of Bennelong when John Alexander retires at the next election.

Evidently the local Liberal branches are unhappy with Taylor being parachuted into the electorate ahead of local candidates.

:(
Love Tubby in the box
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gotta be a joke.. surely. Tubbs would be taking a pay cut?

Never understood why would parachute in a celebrity candidate to a non marginal seat.
 
Belnakor said:
gotta be a joke.. surely. Tubbs would be taking a pay cut?

Never understood why would parachute in a celebrity candidate to a non marginal seat.
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Probably not.
NSWCROW said:

Also

Philip's and Friends' Political Analysis & Satire
1 hr ·
Mark Taylor to stand for Liberals for Bennelong #auspol #ausvotes

Liberal sources have confirmed that former Australian cricket captain Mark Taylor has agreed to stand for the seat of Bennelong when John Alexander retires at the next election.

Evidently the local Liberal branches are unhappy with Taylor being parachuted into the electorate ahead of local candidates.

:(
Love Tubby in the box
Click to expand...
One of our best cricket captains even know which side of politics is the right one! ;)
 
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