It’s like a pub fight, according to one government source. Barnaby Joyce is fixing to take Tony Windsor outside once and for all and settle this thing. And he will be the one striding back into the pub – not the one standing outside with a bloody nose.

Brave words. After numerous false starts, Windsor has declared he will stand for New England against the new deputy prime minister at the next election.

There was almost a sense of relief among the Nationals on Thursday. Their first move was to send an email asking for $20 donations where “every dollar” goes to New England to beat Windsor.

“Barnaby has never been afraid to stand up for us – now it’s our turn. I hope you can help out,” the email says.

The pesky former independent has become the “mosquito in the tent”. They say Joyce is eager for the fight given that “he did not get a chance” to beat Windsor at the 2013 election. If Joyce wins in 2016, the theory goes, he will have settled the argument once and for all. If he loses, it will be the shortest career for a National party leader in its history.

High stakes indeed.

http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/mar/10/its-boots-and-all-barnaby-joyce-and-tony-windsor-go-toe-to-toe-in-new-england

From the spoof site, The Betoota Advocate...

AMERICAN ACTOR JOHNNY DEPP announced today that he plans to back Tony Windsor’s return to politics and his journey to defeat Barnaby Joyce in this year’s federal election.

Speaking from his California home, the 52-year-old said he wishes Windsor the best of luck and he’s behind him all the way to Canberra.

“You can’t threaten to kill a man’s dogs and expect him to stay quiet,” said Depp.

“But this isn’t about that. I don’t live in the past, but I’m genuinely concerned about the future of New England. I want the NBN to be connected to every school and hospital in New England by 2020,”

“Gonski was going to be the greatest improvement to the Australian education system since the No Hat No Play campaign,”

“I’m just sick and tired of hearing news that the people of New England are constantly being let down by the same guy that wanted to kill my dogs, but this is nothing to do with that.” said Depp.

In May last year, Depp brought his two dogs into Australia illegally, circumventing our stringent quarantine laws. Pistol and Boots became the centre of a controversy that circled the globe, thanks to Mr Joyce threatening to destroy the dogs if they weren’t immediately deported.

This endorsement of Tony Windsor is a first for Depp, who’s been famously apolitical his whole career.

Speaking to reporters this morning, Windsor said the Hollywood support came as a surprise.

http://www.betootaadvocate.com/uncategorized/johnny-depp-endorses-tony-windsor-for-new-england/

Windsor taking New England off Barnaby Joyce would be a bigger blow to the Coalition than Howard losing Bennelong to McKew in 2007, writes Jonathon Ireland.

IT'S FUNNY how things change in politics.

In 2013, when he announced he would not recontest his seat of New England, Tony Windsor’s political career looked dead and buried, his fate sealed from the moment he and fellow independent MP Rob Oakshott announced that they were giving Labor the numbers it needed to form government.  

His card was marked. Despite the statistical evidence suggesting it was one of the most successful legislative parliaments of all time, the public turmoil of the Labor Government and the sheer destructive venom of the Abbott-led opposition cemented the impression that Windsor and Oakshott had sold the country out. He was culpable for every policy failure, every controversy.

The outrage of his electorate was palpable — Windsor had betrayed the interests of an electorate that had never once voted in a Labor member. Across the country he became a soft target for conservatives looking for a pariah. When Barnaby Joyce decided to move to the lower house, the game was over. Windsor bowed out.

Hindsight is like that unwanted guest at your party who insults your taste in wine, drinks more than their fair share of it and then asks for a lift home to skimp on a taxi. Unwanted, rude and, sadly, not all that wrong. Someone is at the door Australia — it’s Hindsight, he’s drunk and he is ready to dance on the marble tabletop in your lounge room.

I think it is fair to say that the Abbott Government was one of the most disastrous in Australia’s history. From the moment parliament’s public face of misogyny appointed himself Minister for Women (that’ll shut ‘em up), the Government lurched from manifest policy failure to ministerial controversy to Captain’s Call stupidity. Treating Australians for morons, it attempted to hide its utter incompetence and anaemic paucity of substantive long term policy behind, exaggerating the threat of ISIS and holding press conferences in front of enough national flags to fuel a Cronulla riot.

I detest both the major parties but Abbott and his right wing cronies have dragged discourse and progress in this country to a whole new low over the past half decade. They are destructive, morally (if not financially) corrupt career politicians with no skills beyond filling the pockets of their political paymasters. Gina Rhinehart and Rupert Murdoch seem to be the only Australians who have benefited under this Government.

https://independentaustralia.net/article-display/the-resurrection-of-tony-windsor,8764

Deputy Prime Minister and Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce is forecasting an uphill battle to retain the seat of New England, in the face of competition from Tony Windsor.

Mr Joyce has responded to a poll published by The Australian Newspaper today, which suggests the former Independent member for New England could unseat him.

"Unfortunately that means I claim the mantle as the underdog," Mr Joyce said.

The poll, conducted on Saturday, has a 4.3 per cent margin of error and sampled the views of 518 voters in the electorate.

The poll measured similar support for both candidates in the primary vote but, after preference flows, it put Mr Windsor ahead 52 points to 48.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-14/joyce-says-he's-the-'underdog'-in-fight-for-his-seat/7243846

I would not be surprised if Malcolm is happy about this. I believe he would not mind seeing the back of Barnaby walking into the sunset... But he won't say so of course...

In the last week we have seen an outbreak of "Relevance Deprivation Syndrome" among formerly-powerful politicians. Everyone from Tony Windsor to Stephen Smith and Tony Abbott are showing alarming symptoms, writes Terry Barnes.

In the late 1990s, a condition was identified that causes sufferers great distress and mental anguish.

That condition is Relevance Deprivation Syndrome.

First described by one of its leading victims, Gareth Evans, RDS strikes politicians who suddenly lose a high profile and real power. After many years of the public and media massaging their egos and hanging on their every word, flying in VIP aircraft and getting lurks, perks and freebies far beyond the comprehension of mere mortals, they have to be mere nobodies again.

Those afflicted by RDS simply can't understand why the world no longer revolves around them.

.....

Perhaps the only antidote to this latest RDS eruption is the upcoming federal election, which will force us all to focus on the relevance of the future, not the past.

Terry Barnes is a policy consultant, former senior Howard government adviser and a weekly columnist for The Drum. Twitter: @TerryBarnes5.

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A lot of irrelevant drivel from Terry Barnes who himself must be suffering from the disease. Relevance Deprivation Syndrome seems to be at the core of his right wing commentating as a weekly columnist... He tries to keep himself relevant, despite talking and writing mostly shit. Unless Barnes tries to be satirical. But I never read anything satirical from Barnes, so why should he start now?

In the case of Tony Windsor, for example, Barnes is far off the mark. The one suffering from Relevance Deprivation Syndrome is Barnaby Joyce who will say any crap in order to appear in the press, including seeing himself as the "underdog". Let's hope that Tony Windsor kicks Barnaby out. We need him to do so.

I agree with Barnes on Tony Abbott suffering from the disease. But Tony has long suffered from it, Since he was a toddler, at school, in university, nursing his scholarship, polishing his professional political career, his appearance was all done because of the Relevance Deprivation Syndrome. Without the help of Murdoch (another fellow sufferer, but with a bit more joy that Tony-the-Dour), Tony would have vanished, taken early by the Relevance Deprivation Syndrome... Bless his socks.

In the case of Stephen Smith, Smith made a proposal which is legitimate and got refused which is okay. But as GreyBags tells us the comments:

I'm sure Windsor would be happy to live a quiet and sensible life but he can't stand back and watch the destruction wrought by the science haters and the loony tunes who are currently in government. This government will approve anything that is dirty and destructive to society as long as it makes their corporate mates a few bucks. 

As for Fruit Loops on the cross benches, they have nothing on the Fruit Loops in the Liberals like Bernardi, Abetz, Christensen etc etc etc who reject any expert advice in any field and instead put complete faith in their own ignorance as they chant the mantras of The Cult of The Invisible Hand.