Webdiary - Founded and Inspired by Margo Kingston

The electoral Division of Melbourne is represented by Adam Bandt, the House of Representatives only Green, who took the seat in 2010 from it's traditional tribal owners, the ALP, following the retirement of Lindsay Tanner.

At that election,  the major parties polled:

Labor (Bowtell)                     38%

Greens (Bandt)                     36%

Liberals (Olsen)                     21%

... which gave the seat to the Greens over Labor on the two candidate preferred count of 56%/44%, a result the Greens could not have achieved without Liberal preferences.

 

I just heard a part of an interesting interview with John Howard on the ABC in which he said he hoped the Liberals preferenced the ALP over the Greens in this seat at the next election. The Greens are worse than Labor he said. He also expressed the view the Greens support had now peaked. Basically Australians don't like extremists. I agree. The Greens have had their Marrickville moment. From now it's just down hill and out. The way of the DLP, the Democrats and One Nation.

 

It is strategically important for the Liberals to put the Greens candidate last at least in Melbourne and explain why. It is because this party has become a carrier of extremist policies many of which have nothing to do with the environment. No offence to Mr Bandt. I expect he's a nice man. However his party, mainly through the activities of its NSW branch now under the control of old hard left cultists, is unacceptable in any Australian legislature. For instance, the party is now associated with the odious BDS campaign. It will take a purge and split to get rid of the stench.

 

If the Liberals are lucky, the ALP will refuse to preference them in Melbourne and elsewhere. I expect Michael Danby and others in the ALP will be doing their best to see this does not happen. What a strategic break for the Liberals however if they fail. They could then make a direct appeal to Labor voters across the country.  Do you really want another government beholden to extremists? Who knows. The Liberals could even take Melbourne. They almost took Balmain in the NSW state election....