RE's 2007 Election Wrap

Rather than rant on for ages about the election result itself, there are actually some very interesting conclusions to draw from it, both from how and why things happened the way they did, and how things have changed for the future.

And yes, this blog will probably resemble my very controversial debut, so be warned, and take it for what you will. And guess what Ricardo, you’re tired of reading about politics? well I’m sure as fuck tired of hearing about how you or Funkmaster of Moff managed to pull through a thriller in table tennis, pro-evo or golf, so remember that before you start the, oh, here we go again.

Something about this election reminded me very much of the South Park episode where Stan’s father offers his wise words, “see, it’s always a choice between a Giant Douchebag and a Turd Sandwich”. And I'm sure there's no-ne who would argue that K Rudd is certainly a Giant Douchebag.

Funnily enough this particular episode was a parody of the 2000 election campaign in the US, in the lead up to the 2004 election, and the feeling for me is that it becomes more and more relevant as political candidates learn how to sell themselves through a vast range of media. But it also highlights, as much as we hate to admit it, the relentless Americanisation of our country.

Rudd won in an absolute demolition. And after this I was heartened to hear the wrap each leader gave the other. They do no doubt share a genuine mutual respect. There would be some very big questions being asked in Liberal party at the moment because probably a lot of the traditionalists in the camp are still confounded by this Rudd phenomena.

First he outpaced Howard every step of the campaign. While Howard would do 1 or 2, maybe 3 appearances per day, Rudd was doing 4 or 5. And what has impressed me most of all is that Sunday, he began to group with his party to get their mandate in order, and Monday he was straight out in schools rolling out step 1: education. And all while the votes are still being counted.

Also, it will be very interesting to see how Labour handles big business. It’s no secret that the WA liberals are by far and away the most healthily funded. And there should be no surprises that these funds come from the coffers of about half a dozen companies, BHP, Rio, Woodside, Alcoa, BP, etc, all of whom love work choices (and hate Labour and the unions).

But I think what we are seeing in the economy (particularly of the energy and resources states) transcends any political party or agenda. The issue of who will run the economy better is about as inconsequential as what they ate for breakfast. The economy will continue to thrive and although it’s hard to gauge what extra force the unions will generate (and what the financial consequences of that will be), the irony is that now their party is in power, they become more useless because they have less to fight against. So, the unions will probably do what’s best for their future and subside under one of Rudd’s wings.

It will be interesting to have as our Prime Minister the first Western Leader in history with an extensive grasp of Mandarin. Although the real issue will begin to be, not how to setup healthy Australian exports, but how to stop Asian companies buying Australian ones. Rumours abound of big Chinese steel manufacturers wanting to buy Rio (whose iron ore sales make up about 2/3 of their profits at the moment). This will require someone who can deliver the proverbial “iron fist in the velvet glove” for our foreign relations, and probably the one area where I would have rather had Howard in to bat for my country than many others.

Where Rudd gained a definite advantage (and probably one of the areas which take the liberals a while to get their heads around) was through his use of media to his own advantage. It was an aspect which kept Howard in the favour of generations of traditionalists by using more radio, for example during his term, where it couldn’t be so heavily edited.

Likewise Rudd got much more involved in younger TV to capture the younger votes and did so more on live-style shows, like Rove and the tabloid-style debates on Sunrise and across the broadsheets. This too, was probably the best way to counter Howard and capture many teetering votes. Even though it is eternally frustrating to finally get political leaders in a relaxing, casual situation, hoping for them to drop the façade and just give an honest comment or two, and only have them answer, (to the question, who would you turn gay for?) “my wife is the only one for me”.

God, won’t it be amazingly refreshing to actually hear a political leader just have a real sense of humour, play along with a real joke. But then again that’s really why it always comes down to a choice between a giant douchebag and a turd sandwich.