Rate the crossbenchers

[David]

[John Wren]

it's good that someone is taking notice of them. thanks for that david.

[stui magpie]

Lambie is the love child of Pauline Hanson and Bob Katter who was dropped on her head as a baby and adopted out to a Tasmanian couple.

Other than that I haven't been paying them too much attention.

[Wokko]

I'm an LDP member, so can't comment on this with any degree of impartiality whatsoever, but I agree with you on Xenophon and Palmer's mob.

[pietillidie]

I'm an LDP member, so can't comment on this with any degree of impartiality whatsoever, but I agree with you on Xenophon and Palmer's mob.

Does the LDP have any policy solutions related to improving free market access and competition, such as policies countering the anti-free market activities of natural monopoly incumbents?

[Tannin]

Sadly, I have no time for details, but in brief, I guess I'd go with:

David Leyonhjelm (LDP): 7/10. Reluctantly, I agree with your mark for him. He is a very dangerous man, a gun fanatic, a hard-line right-wing economic extremist, and like all climate deniers a traitor to humanity, but he has played his cards well and stood alone against some of the more gross anti-democratic stupidites of late.

Bob Day (Family First): 2/10. Waste of space. Has absurd views out of the 1950s, doesn't seem able to articulate them or stand for anything other than religious conservative nuttery - meaning that you wouldn't notice he wasn't just another one of Abbott's loopier goons except that he sits on a different bench from Senators Abetz and Bestiality.

John Madigan (formerly DLP, now independent): 9/10. By far the best of the hard right crowd. Easily duped by psudo-science fruitcakes, but a decent, dedicated and honest man.

Nick Xenophon (independent): 4/10. Wrecked his credibility by supporting Abbott's repeal of the carbon tax. Had earned a great deal of respect until then; still worth some.

Ricky Muir (Motorists): 6/10. A decent ordinary bloke who is making a far better fist of a job he never expected to have than anyone predicted. Not afraid of making his vote count, and although he often votes with the PUP, he is his own man. Like Madigan, he has refused to bow down before the leaders of his own tinpot party and remains determined to make the best decisions he can. Worthy of more respect than he gets.

I won't try to split the Palmer stooges, they just do what Clive pays them to do, except for Jacqui Lambie, who was invented especially so that Sara Palin and Pauline Hanson wouldn't feel so dumb, loud-mouthed and ignorant anymore.

[John Wren]

I'm an LDP member, so can't comment on this with any degree of impartiality whatsoever, but I agree with you on Xenophon and Palmer's mob.

Does the LDP have any policy solutions related to improving free market access and competition, such as policies countering the anti-free market activities of natural monopoly incumbents?

i think you forgot to append "madam speaker" after that question.

[Wokko]

I'm an LDP member, so can't comment on this with any degree of impartiality whatsoever, but I agree with you on Xenophon and Palmer's mob.

Does the LDP have any policy solutions related to improving free market access and competition, such as policies countering the anti-free market activities of natural monopoly incumbents?

I'll do my best here, I'm a member not a candidate.

The LDP is largely focused on free trade and removing regulation to allow market forces to dictate competition rather than government backed monopolies. I'll link to the two areas I think might be of interest, and also to the broader policy platform.

http://www.ldp.org.au/index.php/policie ... -privatise

http://www.ldp.org.au/index.php/policie ... free-trade

http://www.ldp.org.au/index.php/policies

Keep in mind these are 'layman's terms' kind of policy outlines that you'd find on any political website and the LDP is a rather nascent party (only just registered in VIC).

[John Wren]

xenophon was just on chaser's media circus. seems an intelligent, likeable enough fella.

[swoop42]

Mutton dressed up as Lambie.

[pietillidie]

I'm an LDP member, so can't comment on this with any degree of impartiality whatsoever, but I agree with you on Xenophon and Palmer's mob.

Does the LDP have any policy solutions related to improving free market access and competition, such as policies countering the anti-free market activities of natural monopoly incumbents?

I'll do my best here, I'm a member not a candidate.

The LDP is largely focused on free trade and removing regulation to allow market forces to dictate competition rather than government backed monopolies. I'll link to the two areas I think might be of interest, and also to the broader policy platform.

http://www.ldp.org.au/index.php/policie ... -privatise

http://www.ldp.org.au/index.php/policie ... free-trade

http://www.ldp.org.au/index.php/policies

Keep in mind these are 'layman's terms' kind of policy outlines that you'd find on any political website and the LDP is a rather nascent party (only just registered in VIC).

Thanks, very curious how they handle that.

[Culprit]

I rate them all 10/10 and love Lambie as she is the modern thinking woman. She knows what she wants and speaks her mind. Australians asked for something different because they hate the major parties and this is what we get. I'm loving it.

[Pies4shaw]

If she's "the modern thinking woman", we have little, as a society, to look forward to.

[David]

Yes, I can't help but think an "un-" went missing there somewhere.

[Culprit]

I was being sarcastic