I find it strange that the independent member for Lyne Rob Oakeshott believes that the views of the editor of The Australian, Chris Mitchell, are contributing to a decline in his electoral popularity. If the national daily sold 100 copies a day in his electorate I would be staggered.

Yet there is in the Sunday Telegraph this morning admitting  his conservative-minded electorate has turned against him and blaming the media for it.

Mr Oakeshott said the losses at the State election suffered by like-minded independents was linked to a belief among voters that he had betrayed them by backing federal Labor.

“The electorate bought the line that I am a person who sold out the electorate, and I blame shock jocks such as Ray Hadley and faceless media barons such as (The Australian’s editor-in-chief) Chris Mitchell for vilifying me and for running that line,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.

I wonder if the member has considered the possibility that the electorate has actually decided that he has just become a whingeing,  crashing, bore.