Steven Bailey running in Canberra for the Mad Katter

jimbocool said :

2001, One Nation preferences got the Libs over the line

Maybe in the house as a whole, but in the ACT Libs made Quota.

Unlike One Nation Katter makes no secret that he prefers the Libs to Labor, and their above the line ticket will reflect that(though from memory one nation did the same – it was just that their lower house vote only split like 60/40 in favor of libs from memory).
The bigger issue would be if Gary (after losing pre-selection for number 1) still runs in number 2 and draws a decent number of bellow the line votes from the liberal voters, if there were enough to put Zed under quota and they leaked away heavily, then, and only then, might the libs have a problem.

However as far as Bailey is concerned, the difference between now and 1998 is that in 1998 Rick Farley not only split the lib vote, but was himself the 3rd candidate.
Splitting the lib vote doesn’t help the Greens if it all flows straight back once the minor parties are excluded – might give them a scare on election night when they come in under quota, but that’s about it.

Well, Katter’s ilk are the only political party in the country that give a damn about how the high dollar is hollowing out the economy which is a plus.
Aside from rural areas they might get a bit of traction in places like SE Melbourne, Newcastle, Wollongong, Geelong and the Latrobe Valley, but as far as urban centers go Canberra may as well be on another planet.
The local economy depends mostly on the APS, it’s a regional center to some extent as well, but the people who use it as such aren’t registered to vote in the ACT.

I don’t agree with Katter’s stance on gays and probably plenty of other things. I think the reason so many people like him is that he sounds like someone who speaks according to his beliefs and not generic party lines. Specific issues aside that is a valuable trait.

If we had many more independents operating like Katter all over the country I think our politics would be much healthier not to mention more interesting.

Steve has posted this note to Facebook:

Dear friends,
I’m going to be leaving my Facebook page as accessible as it always has been to you, my friends. Please feel free to express your opinions with courtesy and good measure. I’ll respond as I can. I want you to know that I believe in what I am doing, and that I have thought about my candidacy for the senate for a long time. I believe that politics should challenge us, just like any worthwhile human endeavour should. I often walk away from arguments thinking to myself – ‘that person was probably right’, and I have a lot of time for people who do the same. To some I am a quiet and unknown entity, to others, I am gregarious. To some I am that kid who used to ride everywhere on a motorbike and live in a shed, and others, I am a beer guzzling arts practitioner. I am inspired by the great nation building projects like the Snowy Mountains Scheme, not only because of its long lasting material benefits it gives all of us, but also for its cultural benefits – where a massive wave of immigrants became proud of their toil, and where that toil was shared by a grateful nation. I believe that the KAP will develop and diversify, because I have seen it do so, and I believe that the other parties will not. I believe that rather than musing about the virtues of people from different walks of life working together, it’s better just to do it.
Cheerio!

http://au.news.yahoo.com/latest/a/-/article/16082475/katter-party-to-field-act-candidates/

http://act-greens.rsspump.com/?topic=katter-party-to-field-act-candidates&key=20130206221740_ac5c6f02b38c9f56ed306f87f5a75847

http://2ca.com.au/news/canberra/1863-katter-s-australia-party-hits-canberra

http://regator.com/p/259213295/steven_bailey_running_in_canberra_for_the_mad/

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/katter-party-set-to-take-flight-20130206-2dz3e.html

http://the-riotact.com/steven-bailey-running-in-canberra-for-the-mad-katter/94241

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-02-07/katter-australian-party-act-candidates/4505680

http://www.barossaherald.com.au/story/1270745/katters-australian-party-visits-barossa/

poetix said :

Just wondering what Bob Katter’s views are on funding for the arts? He obviously likes poetry…

No question he’d be just as generous as his position towards those ungodly gays.

What are you smoking jimbocool?

Your example requires thousands of voters who will vote for the KAP, below the line, and then give a higher preference to the Greens over the Liberals. (Unless you think that KAP will make that deal for the above the line voters.)

The preferential voting system is is designed to avoid the vote splitting situations that befoul first past the post systems and achieves that goal admirably. I only wish we could get rid of the abomination of above the line voting.

Will the composer and theatre director also wear a 10 gallon hat like his leader?

Just wondering what Bob Katter’s views are on funding for the arts? He obviously likes poetry…

Well, that IS interesting. For there to be any hope of the Greens unseating the Liberal senator in the ACT, two vital ingredients are needed:
1. A strong crossover candidate who can draw votes from both Labor and Liberal
2. A second conservative party to split the Liberal vote
As has been pointed out in other threads, the only time the Libs got close to losing was in 2001 when One Nation split the conservative vote enough to push the Libs under a quota and the Deomcrates had a strong crossover candidate.

If KAP splits the Lib vote and the Greens do as well as last time with more than 20% of the primary vote, then it does actually become possible for the Libs to lose. Note that in 2001, One Nation preferences got the Libs over the line – KAP preferences may do exactly the same this time around too.

I hope he gets more votes then Zed.

Saving public servant jobs and the ANU School of Music? Has Mr Bailey not spoken to the average Katter voter….?!? These are the things they wish to destroy!

Shouldn’t that be “your farce from the north”?

Bush socialism in Canberra???

WTF?