Election Ramblings

Yes it is (for some) over for another three years - hang in there Kim (seat of Swan) they are still counting :-)

I am finding the Senate outcome very interesting. If the figures continue as predicted, the Coalition will have 37 seats, Labor will have 32, the Greens will have 5, Family First will have 1 and Nick Xenophone (South Australia) will be an independent. If you look at the general voting trends, the conservatives will have 38 votes (Coalition plus Family First) and the Left will have 37 votes (Greens and Labor). Nick's vote is going to be so very very crucial. Looking at his overall policies, I could see him leaning left more often than not (hung Senate) but he is no flunky. Nick has the reputation of being a solid independent and I am not sure that the Left can assume his vote will just fall their way. I think they are going to have to vote for it issue by issue, or even bill by bill.We may actually have a real 'house of review' forming here rather than the pitiful farce that is the present case.

Nick reminds me of Brian Harradine - I didn't agree with much of his voting but he was a genuine independent who was trying to get the best for his state. Barnaby Joyce (although aligned tot he Nationals) is another person with the ability to stand by his convictions.

On a positive note, from my perspective anyway, Pauline missed out on her latest run

for the Queensland vote. I think Australia would be better for that. It is interesting when you look at the swings in individual seats that the One Nation vote (appreciating that Pauline is no longer aligned with One Nation) almost vanished whilst general swings went to the ALP and, in many cases, the Greens. That leaves two possibilities - One Nation voters went Liberal and Liberal voters swung left OR (my personal preference ha ha ha) One National voters skipped the Liberals and went straight to the ALP or Greens.