With all the huffing and puffing over the Goodna Bypass - which most people realise is a very poor substitute for upgrading the Ipswich Motorway - leaked figures now show that the Liberal Member for Ryan, Michael Johnson is in real trouble at the upcoming Federal election.His hold on his blue-ribbon western suburbs' seat is now described as "ultra-marginal".
The research has probably been leaked by the Liberal Party as payback across its bitter and mostly-acrimonious factions.
Michael Johnson should be very concerned because the Labor Party won the seat for the first time at the 2001 by-election, when Leonie Short had a spectacular victory over the former State Liberal Party President Bob Tucker.
The people had had a enough of the Liberal Party back in 2001 and its seems that lightning might be ready to strike twice in the same place.
The seat of Ryan had been a very safe Liberal seat since it was first created in 1949.
After the brief hold by the ALP, it went back to the Liberal Party when Michael Johnson won the seat at the ensuing general election in 2001.
The cause of the current anger against the Liberal Party in Ryan is the support given by Michael Johnson to his mate in the adjoining seat of Blair, Cameron Thompson over the Goodna Bypass.
Michael Johnson should realise that voters aren't dills and by shoving a major motorway through the picturesque suburb of Moggill, along with forced property resumptions and a real reduction in the lifestyle enjoyed by the local residents, there will be a severe reaction against him and the government.
Ryan might be the "jewel in the crown" for the Liberal Party is Queensland but Michael Johnson will undoubtedly experience some real gut-wrenching pains in the near future when the election results flow in.
And on election night, he might be heard to say: "If only I hadn't listened to that self-appointed traffic engineer Cameron Thompson who forced this abominable bypass on me".
