News Limited’s new low-budget opinion site, The Punch, is giving politicians a chance to put their views straight to the electorate. The most recent pollie to publish an article is Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce.

And it’s a ripper of a yarn, as Barnaby laments the political collusion he sees between the Australian Labor Party and the Greens. The irony of a member of the Liberal-National coalition complaining that Labor have their political flank covered by a ‘niche’ party doesn’t seem to be a problem for Barnaby.

It seems that from where he stands on the Right side of the political spectrum, Barnaby can see the details close to him – the disagreements, the tensions and the factions. But the Left is a long way off, and it just looks like one big blob to Barnaby’s eyes.

I’ll leave you with some of my favourite quotes from Barnaby’s article, but do take the time to check it out and let us know what you think.

For Labor when it counts the Greens can be counted on – stimulus packages, alcopops tax, blah blah blah. It’s all a little green dance, then the word “yes” for Labor. [Um… ETS? Negotiation on the luxury car tax? Conroy’s Internet filter? – Toby]

The Right has only political commentators to ventilate right issues. They do not have a political party like the Left has the Greens.

Mr and Mrs Rudd go to church on Sunday and we all feel safe that he is an economic conservative, he said so, ready to smack those naughty selfish neo-liberal bankers and protect us from scum-of-the-earth people smugglers, the worst form of life, apparently, so I suppose Pol Pot, Stalin, Hitler, Mao and Idi Amin all got off lightly.

I believe also that the ETS is the most fraudulent job-destroying policy waffle that I would not vote for, even in a pink fit. That would have to be “right leaning”, some would say toppling over.

The point being in our political suite of desires is where do we go in politics to hear from the right as the Greens deliver the message for the left, and the major parties are in the centre.

Labor talk about party discipline, as they would, as the last thing they want is for the right to increase the size of their political net by having a good lieutenant to cover their flank.

UPDATE: I should note that the other politician publishing at The Punch today is Maxine McKew. Her article is so flimsy that I don’t see anything I could say about it – largely a film review, followed by a “we must do better, we will do better” on indigenous issues. Duh.