We’ll really find out when it comes to the legislative votes.

“The bush” is the “whinging farmers” to most which is offensive to most regional and rural Australians but then again personally from an Eastern State perspective I don’t consider anywhere “bush” until you get west of the GDR.

“The bush” to politicians is the minority that we can afford to ignore. It is one of the reasons the Nationals are in decline - they never speak out except on minor things and are perceived as kowtowing tot he Liberals or considered Liberal-lite (though tentative research shows they’re actually more conservative)

Read Crikey, Read the papers - it says its all about pork barrelling, extortion, whinging farmers - when all it really is, the people of this country wanting a fair go.

Never a true word spoken Andrew B, but the intriguing question has to be, who will control the trust fund? If it’s the government of the day, how do we get a guarantee that it doesn’t become some slush fund for which the National Party has given us some recent classic examples?

The proof of Banaby’s (and colleague’s) resolve not to sell out to Howard’s mess of pottage I guess comes down to a matter of simple cojones.

The national party is on its way to (per independent ex NP candidate success?) oblivion—the Telstra campaign could be their ”Ardennes” campaign—their last offensive shot.

Love it! The echo of Joh himself declaring “Anyone who says the wheels have fallen off the Joh for PM campaign should watch out or they’ll get run over”

In regard to Homer’s comment, Barnaby has specifically referred to what happened to the Democrats as a consequence of supporting the GST as an example of what happens when you let down your core constituency on a key issue - and an example of what he wants to avoid. He has used Telstra as the National’s equivalent, which may be about right. The time I spoke with him he also mentioned the Nat’s support of the gun buy back as a similar issue and said it was a key reason why One Nation got such a kick along around that time.

How this translates into how he votes - and how the Government handles it - is still hard to predict. I would guess the PM and his pals will put a lot of effort into sorting out a deal before it comes to a vote, rather than have somone cross the floow (a bit like with Petro Georgiou and co on the detention issue).

…and while the National’s state conference might have been fuelled by Bundy rum, I don’t think the negotiations or votes in the Senate will be.

(see here for a few more Barnaby thoughts - http://andrewbartlettonline.blogspot.com/2005/04/james-joyces-son-enters-senate.html)

They promised to reject the GST and then made a deal.

There is little support to privatise Telstra in the bush.