So That Was Predictable

18/05/2019

While this will not be uploaded until the 19^th, I will still consider it my post for the 18^th as much of the thought process took place then – I was busy with family happenings and watching an election crumble before us. People sometimes scoff or just laugh when I say, at the ripe age of 21 now, that I am a grumpy old cynic, and yet here we are – my predictions were correct.

Admittedly, I went into this election hopeful, and even my writing in the week leading up to it was hopeful. But there was no doubt in my mind, due to a complete lack of faith in (I feel almost bad saying it) our country’s population, that we would end up with a third term of those self-serving bastards.

Labor has conceded defeat, with Bill Shorten stepping down as Leader, and Scott Morrison, ever the religious man, called his win a ‘miracle’. Funny word to describe a horrifyingly successful demonisation campaign against Labor from a monopolised media, but each to their own.

Antony Green has said it is a clear Coalition victory, with Labor unable to reach to required seats in the House and the Coalition, at current numbers, likely to hit 76 seats – the number they need to form majority government. Similarly in the Senate, they have more seats, especially with the crossbench, they have more power than Labor and the Greens combined. So we have given the Coalition control of both houses of government.

Within half an hour of the results filtering through it was obvious where this election was heading, and the longer we waited for more results the worse it got. Dutton maintained Dickson. Sharma stole back Wentworth for the LNP (at time of writing, results aren’t final). Frydenburg was not defeated by the Greens in Kooyong.

The only glimmer of success we can snatch from this disheartening night is that Tony Abbott lost his seat of Warringah to Zali Steggall – but where they lost two seats (Warren Mundine also lost Gilmore), the LNP gained five more, with another one or two likely to follow.

Given the devastation the Coalition has spread across our nation for the last 6 years, it is hard to imagine what their almost decade long rule will entail, especially if they control both the House and the Senate. Climate change, Medicare, education, tax rorts like franking credits and offshore loopholes – all of these debates are unquestionably shattered now, with little chance of real action taking place.

One can only hope that in another three years, when we go to vote again, Australia will finally have woken up to the ineptitude and bastardry of the Coalition parties. Because right now, we’ve just sleep walked into a fire.