You say you want a revolution…

This week has seen a pivotal moment in Australia’s history: on Saturday the Labor party won the general election in a landslide victory, de-throning John Howard after his 12-year rule as Prime Minister of Australia. It was great to be in Australia for such a monumentous occasion, and I’m thrilled and excited about the change of direction for my adopted country.

Kevin 07 fans outside my local polling station


I spent said evening at the election party of my work colleague Nick, who is an authority on political systems the world over, so the best person to explain to me the intricacies of the Aussie voting system. The party was themed: come as a political figure, which inspired some amusing creativity. The host was Fidel Castro, I rocked up as a French Revolutionary Chick, and there were Suffragettes, two Yasser Arafats (easy, just a tea towel!) an Imran Khan and a Pauline Hanson, among others. All photos on flickr for your amusement.

French Revolutionary Chick and John Major


The Aussie electoral system is different from the UK system in that you can indicate preferences. Rather than a ‘first past the post’ idea, in Australia you can vote Greens but then indicate that Labor are your second preference, so if your primary aim is to get rid of the Liberals, then a vote for the Greens is not a wasted vote. (Confusingly, the ‘Liberal’ party is the equivalent to the UK’s Conservative Party.) Voting is also compulsory in Australia. Anyway, I’m not claiming to be an expert, but the whole thing has consumed the media for the last few weeks, with election special episodes of The Chaser commenting on all the action to help me understand the key players. Most of my friends were desperate to get rid of Howard, but after the failed attempt four years ago were not convinced it was a dead certain outcome. As the results came trickling in (at a far more civilised time than they do in the UK, as there are less votes to count: Kevin Rudd delivered his victory speech at 11pm.) it became apparent that not only were Labor claiming loads of seats, but the Prime Minister himself looked likely to lose his seat to Maxine McKew after holding it for 33 years. Thrilling stuff! Fidel Castro lit a cigar and we cracked open the champagne.

Fidel 'Nick' Castro with his victory cigar


It’s still too early to tell how the round-faced young Kevin Rudd will lead his country, but at least he doesn’t think Climate Change is a myth; and he’s fluent in Mandarin, too! That will come in handy, as Australia is actually part of Asia, rather than Europe, which it seems to think sometimes. Here’s what the UK press said, and the American press.

Other news, I’m lamenting the demise of Movember – the streets of Sydney have been full of guys sporting variously coiffured ‘Mos’ (moustaches) to raise money for men’s health. An annual event, guys register at the beginning of Movember with a clean shaven face, and then have a month to grow and groom a marvellous moustache. They are sponsored to raise money to help fight prostate cancer and other men’s health issues, but it’s a delight seeing how many people participate. I have had to resist the urge to ask total strangers ‘oh, are you participating in Movember’ in case they are not, and their dodgy facial hair is a regular thing. The movement is spreading so I hope to see my UK chums sporting Mos next Movember.

cx