10.08 pm: John Howard concedes defeat

Mardi Gras Night 1996 – 24 November 2007

8.30pm: ABC computer delivers government to Kevin Rudd

Polling Day in Surry Hills

Just past 8am and the polling booths will have just opened for today’s election. There will be no surprises in Surry Hills where Labor is 100% sure to win. But nation-wide? There were those at last night’s meeting still saying “landslide to Labor” but it does seem it will be a very close thing.

I have to say I thought Noel Pearson’s dummy spit yesterday was impolitic. He could have saved that for after the election. I really wonder too whether he bothered to look beyond the campaigning hype (on both sides) at actual ALP policy on Reconciliation and Indigenous Affairs, particularly Constitutional Recognition Of Indigenous Australians. All he has done is tarnish his own reputation for a degree of balance and originality — for which I have up to now tended to respect him — and made life difficult for himself if Labor gets elected.

Here in Surry Hills it is a grey morning and the sound of crows fills the air. Is this ominous? If so, for whom? I go coaching in Chinatown shortly and will vote either on the way there or on the way home, depending on the crowds. Meanwhile I note, if this relates to anything, the relative readership figures for the past 21 hours on my blogs here at WP:

Pre-election: Politics in the Pub at Surry Hills

So I went down to The Gaelic Club this evening for Politics in the Pub; Sirdan was meant to come too but he must have been working. I do get to see him Sunday so I guess I’ll find out what happened.

I had a bit of a connection with this event, as these entries explain. Some nice things were said about my story in the introductory talk, and then we heard from the ABC’s Mark Willacy. He is an interesting speaker. We also heard from Noah Bassil, Deputy Director, Middle East Centre, Macquarie University. There have been some interesting talks at Politics in the Pub over the years as you will see if you visit that link; a few of them have transcriptions. You may see tonight’s talks on UHF 31 Thursday 2.30 pm and Sunday 10.30 pm.

Remembrance Day

This has a double significance here in Australia… One, of course, is that it is a time to think of the sacrifice of those who died in war, and also of the folly of war. The other is that the last Australian government to be dismissed by the Queen’s Representative was Whitlam’s in 1975 on this day. I remember it well.

OK, now on to blogging…

You will have noticed, maybe, the new sub on the masthead. Sums up what this blog really is, a noble enough aim in my opinion. Anyway, it really is all I can offer. See reflections on this at Why do you blog? — Nov 18th, 2006.

Melbourne Cup

Did you know there is a Melbourne Cup blog?

I can tell you who won this one:

This year? I reckon The Fuzz — but I wouldn’t bet one it!