We dared not to hope too much after the last election which was considered a gimme and turned out not to be.Labor Party ( we don’t use the “u”) leader Anthony Albanses is a team player unsuited to the presidential style campaigns. Without a head for figures he got caught out a few times on some fundamental numbers but the ensuing gotcha attempts by the young media pack turned people away from them and not him.He has a strong team behind him so I hope his Government will be an effective collegiate team.
A few years ago I read that if only women had a vote there would never have been a Labor Govt elected. This was a while ago but until recently still had credence. The Tory Govt and Morrison in particular pissed the female vote off massively and led to this third force of sophisticated centre/right women standing as independents. In the days of a more liberal Liberal Party they probably could have stood for them rather than as an independent. But, as has been said, the Liberal party left them ,they didn’t leave the Liberal Party. The lurch to the right and the influence of fundamentalists has rooted the Liberal Party for a generation.
Hopefully we will see more meaningful progress on emissions targets, renewables industry, voices for the First nation people and an integrity/corruption commission. There will be some nervous politicians when the latter finally gets going.
The good news for you lot in Blighty – arseholes do get exposed eventually and their day of reckoning will surely come.
Aussie politics – a spiv ejected, the rise of strong, savvy female independents and green inroads into coal country
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“A few years ago I read that if only women had a vote there would never have been a Labor Govt elected. ” – the same is true here, with an added ‘u’, obviously.
Congratulations on your liberation. I hope, but don’t expect, that we’ll rejoin you in the real world of grownups one day.
Hurrah. According to the ineffable Peta Credlin, Morrison’s mistake was moving too far to the left. Big arf!
I hear Morrisons are doing a BOGOF on coal this weekend.
Congrats Junes, it’s good news for Oz and good news for the rest of us.
An egocentric billionaire Clive Palmer was previously in our lower house though he rarely attended and when he did he often dozed off.
This time, with a mix of mandated low interest rates, anti vax and other flat earth type policies he spent $A100 million on a campaign for his party. In his home state of Queensland his party was outvoted by the Legalise Cannabis party and he failed to get a seat in the upper house.
This sort of thing puts a spring in one’s step.
True. If only progress was a linear irreversible process, though.
Blimey. He’s come a long way since that first Incredible String Band album.
And another thing. He was born out of wedlock by Catholic mum in the sixties and brought up in a housing commission ( Council) flat.
The potato-headed Peter Dutton is my local member and initial reports were that he had lost his seat, however it wasn’t to be (probably- still a chance).
It’s an interesting election because it”s not so much that Labor won, but more that less of their vote was lost to the Teals and Greens than the Libs. They will form government with the lowest primary vote in Australian history (although being a Queenslander we are used to that. I think Bjelke-Peterson and his corrupt cronies formed government in their own right in the early 80s with less than 20% of the vote.)
I am delighted that the United Australia and One Nation parties tanked. They are the true litmus test for societal stupidity in Australia.
My electorate is Wentworth, the wealthiest in the country, full of latte sipping Chardonnay quaffing privileged climate change believers let’s catch up in Aspen DAHlings
Who in 2018 voted in an independent for 5 minutes when former member and PM was knifed by Scott Morrison and the Liberal right wing loonies. The writing was on the wall even then.
This time, FWIW, I voted for the independent “teal” candidate, Allegra Spender, whose father and grandfather were both Liberal Party royalty. So did just about everyone I know in the electorate who would normally vote Labor or Green. This was a strategic vote to dispose of the Liberal member Dave Sharma, who despite being a “moderate” still voted with the government on just about every fucking stupid thing they proposed. This is why the Aust govt lost so badly. Not just disillusioned Liberals, but disillusioned people of all political persuasions
‘…full of latte sipping Chardonnay quaffing privileged climate change believers…’ And ivory ticklers too, it seems!
Time have changed. When I used to watch that documentary series about Wentworth on ITV in the 80s, it didn’t seem that privileged – everyone wore the same clothes and the walls were made of chipboard.
No, Moosey. That were a mirror you was lookin’ at.
Strewth!
Good result well received in NZ. Ardern being diplomatic but clearly very relieved to be able to relax a bit now.
There’ll be no class distinction, no drug addiction…. and everyone walks around with a perpetual smile across their face.*
…any excuse to post this daft-as-a-brush song.
*I’ve never been, I assume Raymond Douglas isn’t lying to us
The only recorded instance of Ye Olde Kinkes doing a proper end-of-the-60s wigout? I love the fact that someone starts playing a wobble-board towards the end.
I look forward to Dutton’s leadership of the defeated Liberal Party – he will drag it into oblivion with his hardline policies and mediocre performance. I had the misfortune of meeting him once when he was health minister. Even then he was a repulsive and not very smart individual. He was addressing a room of pro-Liberal private doctors. By the end of his talk they were hostile to him. I think he has only survived because he is adept at hiding behind security regulations and shutting down any mechanisms for transparency and accountability.
I don’t think he is dumb and he should not be underestimated.
This is great news, certainly for Australia, also a fillip for any dispirited lefties elsewhere in the world, but most of all for the planet. Morrison’s addiction to coal will no longer hang over international negotiations.
We had our Aussie oppos over for our union conference this week; it’s good to know what they’re going home to.
Upside:
Scotty from Marketing os gone, and so too his evil henchman Frydenberg.
The genral rise of women and teal candidates.
For me specifically, David Pocock’s election is pleasing. A proper decent bloke.
Kenneally losing.
Downside:
Trying to parachute Keneally in may end up costing the definitive majority. There is just no light in which this can be interpreted as a good move, and does make me wonder about Albanese’s real instincts.
I worry that AA got elected because he isn’t Scotty, not because of who he is and what he has. This felt a little like a protest vote.
McDonalds at Engadine better hope the Sharks and Nicho keep the winning streak going…
KK was the outcone of factional wrangling on the Senate ticket. Would have veen a machine thing. Not sure how much of an Albo call it would have been.
As. a Stirm supporter Nicho’s form fills me with ambivalence.
reads on in wonder, open-mouthed and puzzled
It’s like a foreign language…
It’s already been translated – here’s the original:
“KK was the outo of factie wrango on the Senny tick. Would of been a macho thingie. Not sure how much of an Albo call it would of been.
As a Stirmo supporter Nicho’s formy fills me with ambivo.”
Viddy well, droogies!
Suddenly, Burgess’s dystopian vision makes sense!
Got no horse really in the footie race, although I wouldn’t be upset if the Roosters did OK, but I am happy for the guy. Didn’t think the club or position move would help – shows what I know!
@Sitheref2409 oh yeah, agree. I too wondered how he would fare out of the Storm structure – a few have left and not prospered. The club had to make a call and chose Papenhausen. The better player probably but not as robust as Nicho.
I’d have probably made the same call for that position, tbh. Papenhausen surprises me – he plays harder than he looks.
@sitheref2409 impressed how you can hold a footy convo with Junior and you’ve only been here 5 minutes, relatively speaking. I’ve been here and I’m still mystified. Although Junior’s ‘Stirm supporter’ would have thrown anybody off the track.
That was meant to be I’ve been here 8 years and I’m still mystified.
The benefit of a subscription to Kayo and watching as much of it as I can…
Sky News Oz is absolutely losing its shit. Very pleasing.
Oh to be free of any mandate for impartial reporting.
I’m keeping that for the next time someone says “it’ll be alright after the BBC is privatised”.
Teal? Is that a gay thing?
It’s a lady thing, although whether they’re gay or not I couldn’t possibly say. Don’t suppose you actually want an answer, but I’m going to give you one anyway. They are independent candidates who have (mostly) adopted teal as their campaign colour, teal being midway been blue (for Liberal = Tories, pay attention) and green (Greens). You may think that’s a pretty nifty balancing act; I couldn’t possibly comment. They targeted Libs not so much because of their politics but because they were fed up with being condescended to, ignored or groped by old white males.
Here be TEALS.
Strong pedigrees. One that ousted the Tory Treasurer is a paediatric brain surgeon, another a very experienced abc politics/foreign affairs journalist. Another the daughter of a former Tory Foreign Affairs minister.
Thing is previously successful independents conducted classes on “what we did”. How to network , media, community engagement etc. it has changed politics down here.
“Another the daughter of a former Tory Foreign Affairs minister.”
Thankfully Alexander Downer’s daughter has gone precisely nowhere in her attempts to get on the bandwagon.