It is so sad to see the negative and pessimistic comments on this article. We are overrun with corrupt and inept political leaders who we do not condemn or hold accountable, but yet here we are dragging a man through the mud who we have not even had the chance to get to know, or who has done anything other than say he would like a chance to make a difference. Perhaps he is just in it for himself, but we haven't even given him the chance to prove us wrong.

So you automatically assume that he is corrupt before he even starts? You know none of the answers to your questions yet you condemn him as if you do. We need new people to step forward in this country, so please let them have the chance to do so before you push them back in line.

Then we need to demand more of our politicians. Our decision to drill for oil should not have to be handcuffed by the ineptitude and corruption of our current governments.

You are right, we do need a Environmental Protection Act, and we need our Freedom of Information act to work, but most of all we need our citizens to demand it from our government. They work for us, and both they and we, seem to have forgotten that.

If our argument against exploiting our oil resources is that our leadership cannot be trusted, then we need to change our leadership.

You are right about the problems we have here, the piss poor management and deal making, the crime, the corruption.

But we are not slaves to tourism or the banks, they exist here despite our best efforts to sink them. Tourism, banks, new industry, new investments, and even oil are our hope to progress. What stands in our way is our attitude to accept the problems of our country and do nothing about them. We don't hold our politicians accountable for their corrupt actions. We need to take charge of our own future and push aside those who stand in our way.

So we should do nothing? The government work for us and is elected by us. It's time we demanded more of them so that we can further our country instead of the political leaders only furthering themselves. If a corrupt and inept government is standing in the way of our progress then we need to push them aside and continue on as they are only holding us back.

Well maybe we should be holding our politicians and leaders to a higher standard. Why is it ok that we suffer from corruption and mismanagement in this country? We have all the resources to be a thriving nation yet we do nothing because we just accept the terrible way things are. It's time we change this for ourselves.

Fossil fuels have given our planet infinitely more good than bad. Oil spills, these and air pollution pale in comparison to what we have achieved with fossil fuels. Flight, cars, modern medicine, the entire industrial revolution, none of that would have occurred with fossil fuels. I will take some damage to the environment any day over regressing 300 years.

So was there an attempted robbery on an armored car or not? Talking about how we are sons and daughters of a beautiful country has nothing to do with actually answering the question.

The amount of money wastes on the 'war on drugs' is astounding. We could reduce court costs, reduce prison costs and overcrowding. Police could focus on the violent crime that plagues our nation. Gangs would lose power and revenue derived from the sale of it. It could be taxed and could be used to even drive tourism. There is no common sense behind it. It's the same as alcohol prohibition and will soon be a thing of the past. Then we can look back and see how much money we gave up and how many lives we ruined in a failed attempt to controls people's private lives.