October 11, 2004

POST ELECTION

Hmmm. This hangover still hasn’t gone away. Maybe a couple more bottles of champagne will kill it.

gurgle gurgle

Yum! Much better. Okay: everybody who kept this site alive on Saturday night with election updates, thank you. Those threads absolutely sing. Let’s hope for something similar in November. By the way, being a speedy blogger-person, I was able to congratulate Howard at least an hour before he took calls from George W. Bush and Tony Blair. Bloggers -- faster than the White House! Faster than Downing Street!

More on election night in this week’s Bulletin, out Wednesday. Close to midnight Saturday I was interviewed by 4BC's Ian Maurice, who played me an astonishing audio clip from Kim Beazley. The Australian has similar quotes:

I have been dreading this night for the last 12 months.

I assumed from a close study of our polling results late last year that we were likely to lose 25 to 30 seats whenever an election was held, so any seat less than 25 seats that we lose I regard as a stay of execution.

Which means that while the ALP itself knew it faced defeat, the SMH’s Alan Ramsey -- supposedly an ALP insider -- was running pieces like this and this:

Latham? I think he can get there. At the very least Labor will eat into the Government's majority. People are sick and tired of Howard, and many of us detest him for his duplicity, his divisiveness and his gross mendacity.

John Howard made his decision to join the invasion of Iraq "in good faith, based on the available intelligence." Presumably Ramsey’s decision to publish his inaccuracies was based on similar criteria.

UPDATE:

Labor's share of the primary vote at 38.2 per cent. This is the second lowest for Labor since 1931.

Posted by Tim Blair at October 11, 2004 03:49 AM
Comments

you certainly are fast with everything Tim, you made this posting at 03:49 & it is only now 03:05, I am impressed at how you are faster than the passage of time... *impressed*

Posted by: steve at the pub at October 11, 2004 at 04:06 AM

In fact Tim, come the first Tuesday of November, this talent of yours of being one hour in advance, it could be VERY handy re transactions between me & my bookie,, nyeh nyeh nyeh !!!

Posted by: steve at the pub at October 11, 2004 at 04:09 AM

John Howard made his decision to join the invasion of Iraq "in good faith, based on the available intelligence." Presumably Ramsey’s decision to publish his inaccuracies was based on similar criteria.

LOL dead on.

Posted by: Anon at October 11, 2004 at 04:11 AM

"Labor's share of the primary vote at 38.2 per cent. This is the second lowest for Labor since 1931."

The AEC's Tally Room says 38.2% represents a swing of +0.36% since the last election.

Checking the AEC's 2001 results, Labor had 37.8%. Which is lower. So what are you on about?

Posted by: Robert at October 11, 2004 at 11:10 AM

It's obvious. Alan Ramsey didn't get it wrong. The Australian electorate stuffed up.

Posted by: Andjam at October 11, 2004 at 11:43 AM

Anyone know if Howard's going to go on ROVE LIVE now? (heh-heh-heh)

Posted by: Richard at October 11, 2004 at 12:01 PM

Rob,

If 2001's was lower, perhaps that was the LOWEST since 1931. The 2004 tally is only claimed to be second-lowest.

Posted by: tim at October 11, 2004 at 12:39 PM

Indeed. 2001's was the lowest in 70 years. To have flatlined in the three years since then - with an old school working class tyro at their helm, no less - has to leave them nervous.

And that's an understatement.

Posted by: Grand Old Elephant at October 11, 2004 at 01:57 PM

yeah, but 'iron mark' won the campain!!!! ;)

Posted by: rosceo at October 11, 2004 at 05:19 PM

Each time I read Ramsey I get a sneaking feeling he may be a fifth columnist (pardon the pun) using reverse pyschology to assist the government. He doesn't present the other side of a story when he's complaining, and his rantings appeal to the basest prejudices of the SMH's AB demographic, a technical description for the old-fashioned 'snobs'.

Ergo, ordinary people, the practical common-sense kind, keep getting turned off by the unreality and the gullible left keep getting riled at all the "lies" and "subterfuge" etc etc

Posted by: Romeo at October 11, 2004 at 07:57 PM

Fifth column, eh? And all these years, I thought he was just writing satire.

Posted by: Grand Old Elephant at October 11, 2004 at 08:40 PM

funny how on this dfay of triumph nobody will look you in the eye. Orcs are busy of course but there's always blood to be sucked somewhere.

Posted by: tug at October 11, 2004 at 09:25 PM

funny how on this day of triumph few will look you in the eye. Orcs are busy of course but there's always blood to be sucked somewhere.

Posted by: tug at October 11, 2004 at 09:27 PM

Um, it's vampires that suck blood not orcs.

Posted by: Andrea Harris at October 12, 2004 at 01:06 PM

I think tug's problem is that there's a perpetual vampire attached to his neck that just sucks off all the blood before it can reach his brain...or maybe it's an orc, who knows.

Posted by: PW at October 12, 2004 at 06:28 PM