Of course, now the real way to brand yourself as an independent thinker is to remain ink-free.

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But I have found him first and foremost to be an independent thinker.

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But independents need to know that McCain is an independent thinker.

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Mr Cruddas has earned a reputation as an independent thinker, and talks a lot about the need for the party to reconnect with its traditional working-class supporters.

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Mr Stewart's political problem is that in Westminster, the term "original thinker" is not a compliment, and independent judgement is often considered a vice, not a virtue.

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