Stephen McIllhatton, Skennars Head
In many ways it is refreshing to see a candidate like Mandy Nolan nominated for public office. She will never leave you wondering where she stands on most matters and appears to have the best interests of many people at heart. Combine this with a fair degree of integrity in what she believes and she is nothing if not authentic. Further, her life experiences and the fact that she has had a real job for a long time, automatically set her apart from at least half of the politicians we have to choose from.
On the surface of it, she presents a real alternative to the current federal and state representatives in our region. Mandy talks about being able to easily hold her own with a baying crowd. Of that we have no doubt.
Therein lies the first problem. It will be her back she needs to watch rather than what is in front of her if she is elected to Parliament.
Already the Federal MP Justine Elliot has publically dismissed her as a candidate on the grounds that the Greens will never form government. Yet that same MP will come, cap in hand to Mandy prior to the next election seeking her Greens preferences. If that is not granted it will be likely that this electorate will become a Liberal seat. So Mandy will have to toe the party line on this issue and a range of others. This will test her integrity, as it would anyone’s.
Mandy Nolan is well known in the area, unlike Justine Elliot who seems to think the electorate stops at Byron Bay. In Ballina, many describe her as Justine Who(?) until we are occasionally reminded that she exists by her wailing mantra of ‘eight long years’.
Australia needs local representatives who are going to stay true to themselves and not necessarily follow party lines in all instances. We need something different.
Like her or loathe her, Mandy is different and not your ‘run of the mill’ candidate. If she can convince the electorate that she will place all of this community at the centre of everything she does, she will have a real chance because our current representatives fail this test abysmally.
I thought her recent article on the divided community at Mullumbimby was a real sign of this intention and an authentic, heartfelt attempt to place people before politics.
Stephen, keep your hat on. For Mandy Nolan to attract the Green vote first she has to be Green. Mandy is not Green.
Mandy is not going to attract the Green vote as the Green vote is about the environment. The Green vote will go straight to Justine Elliot and the people who vote Independent will vote fo Mandy Nolan.
The Green vote will go backwards. Justine Elliot’s primary vote will increase.
Mandy Nolan is an excellent and popular person and has much to offer our area as an entertainer, she should leave the serious political stuff to people with a proven track record. It was a massive effort for Justine Elliott to remove the National Party, in the form of Larry Anthony in 2004 and she has much improved her position at every election since then, in a very marginal seat. If the Greens keep carrying on with nonsense like this, it could backfire spectacularly on everyone and the seat could be lost back to the Nationals; I’m sure everyone would enjoy that, particularly the Nationals
Stephen you really don’t know Justin Elliot. Cap in hand for preferences, remember NATslibs going cap in hand to clive Palmer ( you know the one who ripped off his workers and the government). Who are they running the old hack from tweed that has loss twice before? Or are they going to bring in someone like a political staffer offering buckets of promises.