I will probably write a proper piece about the election for ASB later this week, but I thought I’d just note here how much... lighter... I feel since hearing Anthony Green say sometime on Saturday night that he could not see a path to victory for the government.
It just feels... so good.
And every time I think the feeling might be waning I remember that someone like Eric Abetz lost their seat, and the warm fuzzies come flooding back. My only real disappointment is that Dutton got up again. He really is the monster you cannot kill at the end of the movie. Still, given what actually happened on the weekend, electing him leader probably guarantees the Coalition wanders through the wastelands for 10 years to come.
I really do need to stop joy-scrolling my newsfeed, however. I have work to do. Deadlines piling up. Bills to pay. But every time I try to settle down to work, my mind drifts back into the state of mild euphoria in which it has been basting since mid evening on Saturday night.
Part of it is watching the Murdoch media make things worse. Their whole business is culture war, of course. It is literally their business model now. They don't have anything else. And you can see the desperation in their eyes as they try to bully the surviving liberals into sticking with the plan. But of course that's their plan. That's how Rupert keeps making untaxed profits. It's just not a very good plan for the libs to get back into power.
Because of this, I hope they really, really pay attention to the butthurt rantings of the Sky News After Dark crew. By all means, go further to the right. Hard right. All the way over there, boys. Deny the science harder. Double down on the dumb white male vote. And get ready for your subpoena from a federal ICAC.
I am starting a dead pool style betting scheme where you need to pick the first member of the old Morrison Govt that goes to jail once an Anti Corruption body is installed. It's a strong field currently.
Rowan Dean had a corker of a frothing rant on the Sky thing, repeated in the Spectator. (I don't watch Sky of course, but on K. Rudd tweeted it, and that was picked up by some feeds that I do see.) And yes, Dutton is clearly the man for the job. Go team Dutton. (Actually, if Dutts doesn't make it, the idea of an opposition lead by either Tudge or Taylor, who are both still standing, would be just as funny. Throw in Keith Pitt for the Nats, while you're at it...)
If you didn't make it past ScoMo conceding, then you owe it to yourself to catch Albo's victory speech, which the ABC has helpfully transcribed in full. Delivered apparenly off the cuff and without notes or prompts. We're in good hands.
I feel a lot better about Australia and Australians this week than I did last. The world might not be a good and happy place yet, but I can see us starting to work our way out of the very deep hole that we've dug ourselves into over the last decade.
I read something a while back, can't remember where, but it was saying Morrison was gone no matter what, so the focus should be on removing Freydenburg because he was the nominal future for the Liberals. Job done, but as you and others have pointed out, we'll have Dutton for a while or alternatively someone who'll also be lining up at the ICAC. They have a world of pain to get through before we have to worry about an ultra right wing government falling over the line.
Putting my political nerd hat on, it's clear they're burning Dutton as a leadership option early, and moving him off the board. Keeping in mind that the electorate generally gives new PMs two terms (even the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd government got two terms!), Albo would have to screw things up on a Campbell Newman in Qld level of bad for the Libs to return to government after 1 term.
So Dutton gets to be opposition leader for a term, lead the Coalition to defeat in 2025, and then be forced out during Albo's second term, depending on how comprehensive that defeat is. It's when Albo seeks a third term that shit will get real, and the Libs will need an electable leader. Christ only knows who that will be, or whether the civil war in the Libs (never mind between the Libs and the Nats) would have ended by then.
If they were actually interested in learning the lessons of this election and possibly the 2025 one they'd put Bridget Archer in charge once they're done letting Dutton work through his delusions of opposition leadership, but we all know the answer to that.
I am genuinely conflicted about this. I, too, would like nothing more than the Libs, Nats, cranks, and nutjobs lurch off into far-right irrelevancy (at least they're not dunceclaiming some stolen election). Then I think about the need for Her Majesty's loyal opposition.
A credible, reasonable, counter-vailing force for any ruling party seems to me to be necessary for good Government. The alternative is a Government that corrupts itself and gets drunk on its own power. Worse still is a far-righter oppo that stumbles into power after the people finally get sick of the Government, we kinda saw that here in Aus in 96.
The Murdoch munters ranting about the commies and green hippies as they try to froth up a base that probably still hasn't worked out just how the Australian people got it so wrong? (because it couldn't have been them who got it wrong, right?)- I'm loving that in small doses and definitely appreciating that my fearscrolling over the past few weeks is over.
Yeah, I enjoyed the evening so much that I fell over whilst making some grand point...and broke my elbow! I am only catching up with it all today after surgery last night. Roll on the ASB. I look forward to your take.
That result on the weekend is the only soothing balm for the horrendous flu symptoms we all suffered in my house (dirty germ bag kids bringing it home from the petri dish we call school and/or the school bus). I'm on the mend but my partner got worse this morning - positive covid test. Tested myself, also positive. After testing negative all the long long weekend. Just hope its not a back to back infection with the flu that is going around and i'm looking at some more bed time. I need this sickness like a hole in the head atm!
I am starting a dead pool style betting scheme where you need to pick the first member of the old Morrison Govt that goes to jail once an Anti Corruption body is installed. It's a strong field currently.
Rowan Dean had a corker of a frothing rant on the Sky thing, repeated in the Spectator. (I don't watch Sky of course, but on K. Rudd tweeted it, and that was picked up by some feeds that I do see.) And yes, Dutton is clearly the man for the job. Go team Dutton. (Actually, if Dutts doesn't make it, the idea of an opposition lead by either Tudge or Taylor, who are both still standing, would be just as funny. Throw in Keith Pitt for the Nats, while you're at it...)
If you didn't make it past ScoMo conceding, then you owe it to yourself to catch Albo's victory speech, which the ABC has helpfully transcribed in full. Delivered apparenly off the cuff and without notes or prompts. We're in good hands.
I feel a lot better about Australia and Australians this week than I did last. The world might not be a good and happy place yet, but I can see us starting to work our way out of the very deep hole that we've dug ourselves into over the last decade.
This is a positive development. We'll see what happens up here in '24.
I read something a while back, can't remember where, but it was saying Morrison was gone no matter what, so the focus should be on removing Freydenburg because he was the nominal future for the Liberals. Job done, but as you and others have pointed out, we'll have Dutton for a while or alternatively someone who'll also be lining up at the ICAC. They have a world of pain to get through before we have to worry about an ultra right wing government falling over the line.
Putting my political nerd hat on, it's clear they're burning Dutton as a leadership option early, and moving him off the board. Keeping in mind that the electorate generally gives new PMs two terms (even the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd government got two terms!), Albo would have to screw things up on a Campbell Newman in Qld level of bad for the Libs to return to government after 1 term.
So Dutton gets to be opposition leader for a term, lead the Coalition to defeat in 2025, and then be forced out during Albo's second term, depending on how comprehensive that defeat is. It's when Albo seeks a third term that shit will get real, and the Libs will need an electable leader. Christ only knows who that will be, or whether the civil war in the Libs (never mind between the Libs and the Nats) would have ended by then.
If they were actually interested in learning the lessons of this election and possibly the 2025 one they'd put Bridget Archer in charge once they're done letting Dutton work through his delusions of opposition leadership, but we all know the answer to that.
Need another box on the Ballot paper ... "None of the above" ß-Þ
I am genuinely conflicted about this. I, too, would like nothing more than the Libs, Nats, cranks, and nutjobs lurch off into far-right irrelevancy (at least they're not dunceclaiming some stolen election). Then I think about the need for Her Majesty's loyal opposition.
A credible, reasonable, counter-vailing force for any ruling party seems to me to be necessary for good Government. The alternative is a Government that corrupts itself and gets drunk on its own power. Worse still is a far-righter oppo that stumbles into power after the people finally get sick of the Government, we kinda saw that here in Aus in 96.
The Murdoch munters ranting about the commies and green hippies as they try to froth up a base that probably still hasn't worked out just how the Australian people got it so wrong? (because it couldn't have been them who got it wrong, right?)- I'm loving that in small doses and definitely appreciating that my fearscrolling over the past few weeks is over.
Yeah, I enjoyed the evening so much that I fell over whilst making some grand point...and broke my elbow! I am only catching up with it all today after surgery last night. Roll on the ASB. I look forward to your take.
My happy moment came when Joshie realised he hadn't hope of keeping his seat. Loosing Tim Wilson was a bonus.
Hang on a minnit, isn't Dutton the Antichrist?
That result on the weekend is the only soothing balm for the horrendous flu symptoms we all suffered in my house (dirty germ bag kids bringing it home from the petri dish we call school and/or the school bus). I'm on the mend but my partner got worse this morning - positive covid test. Tested myself, also positive. After testing negative all the long long weekend. Just hope its not a back to back infection with the flu that is going around and i'm looking at some more bed time. I need this sickness like a hole in the head atm!