John Howard is not the Prime Minister of Australia.
That sentence makes me so happy. Although I have to agree with Paul Keating that it's more a sense of relief than joy. I was desperately excited watching the election results unfold online. The minute I woke up Saturday morning I logged on to the ABC election coverage and discovered that Labor was only five seats away from kicking Little Johnny out of Kirribilli House.
Then I received a phone call from
my (uncharacteristically tipsy) mother, who was hosting an election night BBQ in the back yard with practically our whole street in attendance, and we blabbered on while I continued to hit the refresh button on my laptop.
I'd been passed on to talk to my sister when Labor hit the crucial 76 seats required for victory. Hooray!! It was so good to feel hooked in to the actual election night experience by being on the phone to Australia at the moment that
Kevin Rudd ousted John Howard. The ABC started calling the emphatic victory a "Ruddslide", which is extremely corny but it inspired me to send virtual cocktails to all my Australian Facebook friends to celebrate (mudslides, of course). Aah, victory is so sweet.
Naturally I don't really believe it's going to be a Brave New World; the
wave of idealistic optimism washing over the country will soon evaporate when the reality of realpolitik starts to bite. For the moment I'm enjoying the feeling that a thumping majority of Australians have turned away from the divisive and dishonest policies of the Howard era and are looking for a new way forward.
PS. The cartoons come from www.101usesforajohnhoward.com and include from the top down: a barbecue starter, a fart in an elevator, a fossil and a toilet brush :)
That sentence makes me so happy. Although I have to agree with Paul Keating that it's more a sense of relief than joy. I was desperately excited watching the election results unfold online. The minute I woke up Saturday morning I logged on to the ABC election coverage and discovered that Labor was only five seats away from kicking Little Johnny out of Kirribilli House.Then I received a phone call from
my (uncharacteristically tipsy) mother, who was hosting an election night BBQ in the back yard with practically our whole street in attendance, and we blabbered on while I continued to hit the refresh button on my laptop.I'd been passed on to talk to my sister when Labor hit the crucial 76 seats required for victory. Hooray!! It was so good to feel hooked in to the actual election night experience by being on the phone to Australia at the moment that
Kevin Rudd ousted John Howard. The ABC started calling the emphatic victory a "Ruddslide", which is extremely corny but it inspired me to send virtual cocktails to all my Australian Facebook friends to celebrate (mudslides, of course). Aah, victory is so sweet.Naturally I don't really believe it's going to be a Brave New World; the
wave of idealistic optimism washing over the country will soon evaporate when the reality of realpolitik starts to bite. For the moment I'm enjoying the feeling that a thumping majority of Australians have turned away from the divisive and dishonest policies of the Howard era and are looking for a new way forward.PS. The cartoons come from www.101usesforajohnhoward.com and include from the top down: a barbecue starter, a fart in an elevator, a fossil and a toilet brush :)
1 comment:
Ahahahaha! John Howard is not even the member for Bennelong. Frankie I am still partying although a much more sedate pace than I did all weekend from the moment I woke on Saturday In Enschede to find, like you did, that the good guys were only a few away from securing government.
I'm loving it and can't wait to return home in late Jan / early Feb to a new leadership in our counrty.
Post a Comment