Greetings from Far North Queensland! I am in the seat of Leichhardt which is safe territory for the PM. It was a seat that went Liberal in 1996 and has remained so ever since. I don't see a lot of Liberal disaffection here but there most certainly is back down in Sydney. In Wentworth, it is most certainly the case that people are Not Happy, Malcolm! The Turnbull - King stoush will be particularly interesting to follow.

I've been saying for a long time that Howard tends to 'piss on the core while buttering up the marginals'. I'd guess that most Liberals in Wentworth are relatively moderate in a more traditional Liberal sense. Turnbull doesn't in any way represent the Liberals of Wentworth. It will be very important that all true Liberals vote for King to send a message to the hierarchy that it's not OK to steamroll locals. Besides, independent 'conservative' candidates (eg Andren and Windsor in NSW) are usually better behaved and more ethical than the 'real' thing. Vote 1, King if you are Not Happy John or more particularly if you are Not Happy Malcolm. That's the best reason of all (in my personal opinion!). Let's have an independent in a metro area again. Remember Ted Mack? Remember his ethics? These kinds of people are great.