So what if our possible candidate is yet another out-of-towner with tenuous links to the region? At last maybe a viable choice to our two-party system. Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot The Nats and The Greens are both “independent”.

 But let’s be realistic about our next election, we have two groups of children in a school yard bleating plaintively at each other.

On one side we have a group led by two kids who can’t make up their minds about who is the leader. This side has some good ideas but 

are incapable of implementing anything with real success.

On the other side, a leader who a few years ago ran around proclaiming fathership to a child on the grounds of having slept with the woman once. He also has the annoying habit when asked a question of rocking his head backwards and forwards. This side may well be able to implement its ideas, if it had any.

Our would-be candidate even voiced some views which at least have a taste of my own – removal of state governments, better use of technologies and a greater say from the people of the electorates. 

So I read the article with expectation, and arrived at paragraphs four, five and six. I can now suggest a good policy to this 21st century party. People smuggling!

 Paint a picture of Tony Windsor on each of the boats, let The Nats declare the ocean a national park and let his supporters have a field day. I do think that what Mr McIntyre should remember is that Tony Windsor did not put Labor into government.

Mr Abbott’s “I was born to rule and won’t negotiate” attitude put him out.

So that brings us back to the status quo. I listened to Mr Gregory spruik his credentials for Nats 

pre-selection, and in particular two topics of interest:

1. The Nats’ record of protecting farmland from mining. Yes, in NSW we have a no-go zone around all horse studs and vineyards. Could this be related to Mr Abbott’s head shake?

2. The NBN. I agree with Mr Gregory, we would not need the NBN – if the Coalition had realised that Australia could not support three rival sets of infrastructure before it sold off the infrastructure with Telstra. 

I live 10km from the region’ biggest exchange and am blessed with a landline data speed of 24600 bits per sec. In place of that I have a satellite link of one Mbps down and 256Kbps up and a seven-second delay in each direction. So I’m sorry but fixed wireless has a lot of attraction. Even worth the problems in getting the connection.

So as a once Coalition, but now disgruntled voter I look forward to this year’s electoral event with unbridled enthusiasm.

PETER BURLING

BITHRAMERE