Hung Parliament # 2

I don’t even know what to say about the election at this point.

I mean, on the one hand, there is a certain amount to be amused by.  I don’t think I’ve ever heard the leaders of four separate political parties all declare victory in one election before, and yet that did seem to be what Joyce, Di Natale, Shorten and Turnbull were all doing on Saturday night / late Sunday morning.  And I did enjoy the ABC’s coverage, with Crabbe and Salesy performing Chat 10, Politics 3 along with guest star Penny Wong (yes, I know, there were other people on my television, too.  I didn’t need them.  Well, OK, Antony Green is important, but for me, it was the women who utterly stole the show.).  And my evil side is not immune to a certain Schadenfreude – Turnbull called this double dissolution because he didn’t like dealing with a feral Senate, and the new Senate looks to be even more feral, with a hung parliament to boot.

Also, I don’t think I’ve ever actually enjoyed reading an Andrew Bolt article before.  That was… something.

But on the other hand, there is a fair bit to be sad about.  Turnbull may have deserved political chaos, but I’m not sure that we, as Australians, deserved Pauline Hanson (x4???) and Derryn Hinch.  Moreover, the loss of Ricky Muir, while not unexpected, is truly saddening.  I think he’s the only politician on any Senate ticket since I became eligible to vote in 1993 that my mother and I have both approved of – indeed, I rather think that my immediate family all put Ricky in their top three.  Given our rather diverse political views, this is quite astonishing, and I had begun to have hopes that perhaps Muir’s appeal was broader than I had anticipated.

Maybe once they start checking out the below the line votes, he will look better?  I can only hope.

It will be interesting to see what happens next.  Are we about to have another hung parliament?  An Abbot – Turnbull – Abbot moment?  God help us, are we going to end up with Scott Morrison as PM?  Or will we be heading back to the polls in a few weeks, to see if we can get it right on a second try?  (And if so, can the people of Dickson work just a little harder at getting rid of Peter Dutton this time?  You nearly did it, and that was an excellent effort – let’s see if you can go the whole way on a second run.)

Also, does this mean we are going to get another Hung Grand Final?

And… what happens if it turns out that Australia really meant it when they voted ‘neither, thanks’ and we get the same result on a second try?  Will the politicians have to start working together?  Is this even possible?

As for me, I’ve had about as much vote-watching and tiny party analysis as I can take for now.  I’ll be on the couch, watching Keating! The Musical until further notice.

Don’t start the next election without me.