J. Walsh, Brighton Le Sands, March 14. Come the Federal election he will discover just how numerous these unhappy people are. Here's a prediction for the result in the Ryan by-election. Mr Stopcock, the plumber, Mr Lamb, the butcher, Mr Goodsell, the real estate agent. Well, the Labor Party has fielded a candidate in this by-election with an unfortunate name.
Many factors influence people's vote.
The Ryan result is hardly a ringing endorsement of Kim Beazley and Labor. If Labor wants office then it must earn it, rather than waiting smugly and somewhat contemptuously to win it by default. If only voting were voluntary, politicians would be forced to actively campaign, inspire enthusiasm and fire the electorate's imagination. Mr Beazley, harping on about fuel excise and a GST, does not cut it for me. As shown in Britain, a few more terms out of office should convince Labor to formulate some real policies and stop treating the electorate as ballot box fodder.