Amazingly, the sun has risen

The specific horses of which to beware in Australia over the next few years are those ridden by the Men of the Apocalypse!

Good morning Prime Minster Abbot.  Here is a useful page for such circumstances compiled by a Canadian friend.

So, is there any good news today?  I shall try to pick a little out.

It is almost certainly good news that the Kevster is standing down as leader of (some proportion of) the Labour Party.  I hope he will also quit the Parliament so there is no longer a prospect of his mates in the media consulting him and thus continuing the instability.  The question is, who will get the job:

  • Bill Shorten has got a few mentions but he is the ultimate charisma-challenged backroom boy and won't do much in the way of revitalising the Party.
  • Anthony Albanese has also been mentioned and would be my pick.  A dream ticket would be him as Leader with Penny Wong as Deputy.  Both very tough and very clever. (It would also cause the Murdoch Press to fall over, frothing at the mouth.)
It is far from clear whether Mike Kelly has got across the line in Eden-Monaro.  I am still hopeful.

Talking of unclear, the Senate situation is very complicated.  The ABC website suggests that a likely outcome based on modelling is as below.  The basis of the call is important:  on the telecast last evening the normally very capable commentator admitted he was very surprised by how the Palmer United vote was going so this could be wrong (but surely the results couldn't be any worse).
  • Liberal Party  33
  • Labour Party 25
  • Greens          10
  • Democratic Labour Party 1
  • Others 7
To get a majority 39 votes are needed.  The DLP dude is going to be easy meat for the Liberals so can they get 5 of the "Others"?  Looking at the State level results the ABC (an early typo of 'ANC' would have caused amusement amongst any South African readers) tips:
  • NSW: a Liberal Democrat (right wing extremists);
  • VIC:  Australian Motoring Enthusiasts Party (que?  I have now looked at their website and from the member comments, neither literacy nor typing ability are membership criteria.  That is a big call, bearing in mind the number of typos I make!)
  • QLD: Palmer United in the vast form of Glenn Lazarus who was known as the "brick with eyes" when he played - very well - front row forward for various Rugby League teams;
  • WA: Australian Sports Party (que?  I have also looked at the website for this team.  It is basically content free - I suspect the sandgropers just saw the word "sport" and went for it.  The image of a trail bike on the homepage gives me some concern about their actual adherence to healthy livestyles.)
  • SA: Nick Xenophon - an excellent re-election.- and Family First: oh dear oh dear: consult the bible before every vote but unfortunately their lips move as they vote.
  • TAS: Another Palmer United.  Presumably an anti Greens vote.
So in this tribe there is one leftish person (Xenophon); 4 right wing extremists (Lib-Dem, 2 Palmers and Family First) and 2 complete floaters.  I might be following Family First, at least by reading the Book of Common Prayer as I think about the country relying on the Motoring Enthusiasts and Sports fans.

The Canberra Times takes a different view on this suggesting a Xenophon ally in SA rather than the terrible Senator Hanson-Young, and suggesting the truly revolting Pauline Hanson (what is it about those six letters?) knocking over Arthur Sinodinos (Lib) for the final seat from NSW.  Even though he worked with John  "the Weasel" Howard, on what I have heard from Senator Sinodinos he has a brain which puts him well ahead of many others who have held their seats.  I suspect the CT view would make life tougher for the Mad Monk, and is thus a Good Thing.

Let us see how this unfolds.  I will finish with a quote from our beloved Prime-Minister-to-be (he ain't there until Quentin gives him a hug on behalf of Betty):
"In three years' time, the carbon tax will be gone, the boats will be stopped, the budget will be on track for a believable surplus and the roads of the 21st century will finally be well underway."And from today, I declare that Australia is under new management and that Australia is once more open for business."
I believe the first claim - and am bitterly disappointed thereby.  The Motorists will believe that removing the Carbon Tax will signal 10c per litre petrol and diesel!  WRT to the second paragraph I also agree that Australia will be open for business: but I do so because I have seen a lot of places open for business recently, with signs in the window saying things like "Closing Down Sale"!  It is possible that the boats will stop - but it will be because the people currently in them will recognise that Australia's Government will be little different to those in the countries they are fleeing.

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