Two elections in two weekends in Canberra ... in both cases the incumbent party returned. I probably liked the territory outcome more. John Stanhope seems to do a reasonable job, thinks about things like a bill of rights (I was randomly selected to go to the deliberative forum on the Bill of Rights a couple of years ago http://www.ida.org.au/billofrights.htm ). He seems lighter on self promotion, with a little more substance, and one of the few ACT politicians I have taken seriously. Democrats wiped out again at the Territory level, while the Greens managed to retain one position despite their previous well known MLA retiring (for an unsuccessful attempt at the Senate). Of course when you live in a "self governing" territory, the outcome at the territory government level isn't all that exciting, only a bit of a step up from a local government election in some ways, and subject to overruling on some issues by the Commonwealth anyway (how much time did they all waste on the Gunghalin drive issue before it was overruled?).
I thought that we were due for a change of government at the national level. I did not expect that some of the reasons I wanted change (issues with honesty, the decision to go to war pre-emtively) would hold much sway with much of the electorate, but you can always hope. As a side note I have been rather disappointed in how quietly Mr Garrett has gone about his entrance to politics, and wasn't really keen on his choice of party. Since his retirement from the Oils, I had kept an eye on his website waiting to see what new direction he would take, and the decision was a surprise. I just don't see him fitting in all that well, and it will be interesting to see how he performs in opposition.
I pretty much agree with what Rob says about being plucked, but while I think Mr Hamilton went a little overboard on the its all about greed moralising, I do think that fear and has a lot to do with the outcome and don’t agree with what Tim Dunlop thinks Clive should do. It doesn’t take greed to get yourself into a significant debt problem at the moment, not unless you think that wanting to own your own home or unit in a capital city is greedy. But it can put many people in a position where they are fearful of their vulnerability to interest rate changes. Given that the markets themselves are often prone to short term panic with little basis, its hard to say that the average mortgage holder has to be narrow minded or shallow to respond to a little interest rate fear-mongering at election time rather than risk putting themselves and their family out on the street.
Anyway, I think that the interesting outcome of the federal election is the possible senate majority, and how the coalition will handle it. No more Democrats to share the unpleasant policy making with. I suggested to someone the other day that perhaps Howard won’t push the envelope too far for fear of tarnishing his legacy, but yeah, I’m probably dreaming
