Woke late. The fear and doubt that had built in me throughout Friday was gone, replaced by a 'nothing else to do but wait' mood.
Voted - no sausage sizzle, damn it. Went to Richmond, took over from KP handing out how-to-vote Green flyers at a polling booth for two and a half hours. Still no sausage sizzle. Bantered with a Liberal, kinda ignored Family First, chatted happily with Labor volunteers.
Polling booth closed; walked over to KP's house for election night party, ended up staying considerably longer than intended because bloody Howard wouldn't do the honourable thing and admit defeat early. It wasn't until 10:30pm that he appeared to tell us what we'd know for hours; that his government had been swept dramatically from power. Elation, and yet...
Last night it all felt unreal, even with Rudd claiming victory on the TV before us. Thence to Trades Hall, and a huge fuck-off-Howard party; a sweaty, drunken, happy mess of a night packed with friends and strangers and delighted, disbelieving faces.
Today, it feels even stranger. After waiting and hoping so long for a change of government, now there's a sense of - waiting? sameness? A pregnant pause? Time to see what happens next; to see what Rudd will act on in his first 100 days of power. Indigenous reconciliation? Ratifying Kyoto? Dismantling WorkChoices? Will he govern well? Radically? Badly?
The sense of joy which filled me last night has been replaced by a sense of calm anticipation, and something else; something I can't quite put my finger on.
Don't fuck it up, Kevin.
10 comments:
no celebratory root?
alas, no, anon - not even a snog. *sigh* I clearly need a new game plan.
Oh well, there will be another election in three years.
You mean I have to wait that long?! *clasps face in hands and looks horrified*
definitely an odd feeling now that the huge howard fuck off party is over... i found myself thinking 'what next?' as i nursed my hangover yesterday.
hoping against hope that poor richard di natale gets over the line - else for all rudd's best intentions, we're going to face a hostile senate. barnaby joyce and steve fielding are going to play footy with any legislation they get.
still - what a party it was at trades hall, eh! 11 years in the making. WOOT indeed!!!!
Congratulations to all of you in Australia. Most people (53% at least) must be breathing a huge sigh of relief.
I must admit that I thought Howard's concession speech seemed* fairly gracious.
* from what I could hear. At the party I attended there were screams of "fuck off" and other unkindly words.
If it makes you feel better. I didn't get a kiss or a root either. <:)-
I'm actually worried that Rudd will fuck it all up and it'll be Howard getting the last laugh. Ugh.
I guess I'm pessimistic like that.
I've got the same feeling... I also had the same outcomes with snogging et al.,
Rudd seems like he will be already breaking an election promise by today's papers. Rudd has been criticised by many of the hardcore Lefties for being too conservative especially in regards to industrial relations. I fear the next three years will be full of union strikes that will disrupt the public and if they do it too many times, the public will fight back and vote them out next election. So, as Richard keeps harping - RUDD DON'T FUCK IT UP!
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