‘I did not vote for Pauline Hanson out of fear and ignorance’

Voters revolt against political shift to the centre

“I did not vote 1 for Pauline in the Senate out of “fear and ignorance” - I voted for her because she is addressing the issues that I believe are of utmost importance to this nation and the major’s aren’t.”. Picture: DAN PELED

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

COLIN Claridge, I am not sure exactly what your credentials are to be a political commentator in The Gympie Times on a regular basis, and I would like to iterate that I am one who disagrees on almost every part of your commentary in Saturday’s GT, “I hope we’re not embroiled in a race to the bottom”.

You suggest that Corey Bernadi, Eric Abetz and Peter Dutton would be happier joining One Nation, and that they hold the same “ill informed, unthought-through and poorly articulated views on issues”.

I am of vintage years and a rusted on conservative and have voted Nats all my life - until this year.

Yes, I am one of what you call the “dissillusioned right” (I’d prefer to call it “disenfranchised”- no conservative party to vote for suddenly) and I greatly admire the three men you have named, along with Tony Abbott and even Pauline Hanson, so I assume I am another you consider “ill-informed”? Not as politically astute as yourself?

I was told in no uncertain terms by Textor, Krogher and Turnbull when the coup took place that I was not needed by the Coalition so I took them at their word.

No, I didn’t like the shift to the political centre, I didn’t like the stabbing of a sitting PM in the back any more than when Labor did it, I didn’t like my vote for Mr Abbott as PM being trashed, I didn’t like being told my vote was not needed by the party, and I am not an LNP voter.

I am a National Party voter - conservative. But so long as Malcolm Turnbull is the beneficiary of the Prime Ministership, neither the Nats, the Libs, nor the LNP will get my vote, and I can assure you Mr Claridge, there is a very large number of right of centre conservative voters who, despite the lectures from yourself and many others in the media, are of the same frame of mind.

I did not vote 1 for Pauline in the Senate out of “fear and ignorance” - I voted for her because she is addressing the issues that I believe are of utmost importance to this nation and the major’s aren’t.

It beggars belief that we continue to be railed upon and castigated by the media, given the election result.

Use your global brain and think Brexit, Donald Trump, Barnaby Joyce and Pauline Hanson. The world has had a gut full of the elites and political correctness.

Deride us all you like, but don’t underestimate the power of what you like to call the “del-cons”.

Continue to believe that “most of us aren’t of an extremely conservative frame of mind” but if it comes about that you are wrong please don’t complain if/when a new conservative party is formed and just may govern.

Second comment: Mr Mayor (same GT), just to let you know, last year the promise was our rates would not rise by more than 2.75%.

Our rates bill went up by 11% and after a lot of effort and correspondence with council all I could glean was that we were “not average”.

I am looking forward to being “average” this year with an overall increase of 2.1%.

Harriet Galagher,

Amamoor.