The Ando Zone: Episode 9

So you think the Nationals couldn't possibly be fool enough to blunder into a bit of ham-fisted jiggery-pokery to regain a prize bush seat they'd held for 80 years until the stolid Mr Independent came along and took it from them two elections ago? Don't be so wet. Do you really think Tony Windsor, after 13 years of a political career in a country town sustained only by local trust and confidence in his honesty and integrity and not by party political clout or organisation, would throw it away on a wild story with no basis whatever? Think about it. And think about the real issue here: the National Party itself and its gradual slide into political oblivion.

...Says Alan Ramsey, in an opinion piece inside the SMH, which is seriously lacking in commas.

This Ando saga has more twists than an M Night Shyamalan movie. Granted, his movies usually have only one big twist, but anyway, you get my point.

Maguire did his statement on Friday, and came out saying that no, Ando and friends never asked him to offer Windsor a bribe to quit politics. Yes, there was a meeting with Ando, says Maguire, but it was over funding for a National Equine and Livestock Centre. WebDiary talks about it more.

The Nationals immediately started calling for Windsor to resign, and Ando/Howard are demanding an apology. Before the investigation has even finished.

Latho wants the police to finish their investigation before anyone goes calling for anyone to resign, and also mentioned that Ando was apparently against funding the Livestock Centre, but was all for funding once Windsor was off the board.

And now the Greens are looking for cross-bench support for a parliamentary inquiry for investigations of impropriety with regards to the funding of the centre. But will they get one, considering the state of the Senate now?

The latest news now, appearing in the Herald Sun:

THE Australian Federal Police are believed to be sitting on explosive testimony backing claims that independent MP Tony Windsor was offered a bribe to vacate his parliamentary seat.

This just gets more and more interesting!

"It's a predictable pattern. Pulling all the ministers out now, to squash the little ant.That seems to me that they are taking it very very seriously. If this was a minor skirmish between Windsor and Anderson, having a bit of a biff over the sidelines, the PM would say let the boys have their go."

- Tony Windsor, on the calls for him to resign

The story continues...