Falling Stars

Just so relieved.

Anthony Albanese and Labor claim landslide election win as Peter Dutton loses seat

Kindness isn't weakness.

Referendums rarely succeed.

And I know it's not the end. There's still work to be done.

But it would have meant something. And I'm sad about that.

I am so fucking thankful.

How Labor won

While the election may not deliver a clear majority for Labor, when you look at the issues that motivated candidates, you have a large parliamentary majority united in their desire for stronger action on climate change, and establishing a corruption watchdog.

Former prime minister Paul Keating famously said, if you change the government you change the country, and Saturday was no different.

I had hoped for this, as I have hoped before, but you never know what will happen. I was braced for disappointment, and for playing "The Light on the Hill" on repeat, and for posting a rant about the corrupt, incompetent, and heartless Coalition government, that has messed up its response to everything from the COVID vaccine rollout to sexual assault allegations to climate change action.

But I can let out a breath of relief, and just post a convo seen elsewhere on the internet:

Commenter 1: "I feel like every 3 years there are less and less polling places that actually offer democracy sausages. This is the third time in a row in three different electorates that I'm voting - and nothing. Got my partner all hyped up for this and nothing."

Commenter 2: "I am a teacher. Schools are having a harder time running them. Less people are willing to give up their Saturday to run the bbq and cake stalls etc. The fundraising requires volunteers to give up their day. No volunteers equates to no democracy sausage."

Commenter 1: "Thank you for this explanation 👍"

Commenter 3: "You have to cook the democracy sausage you want to have."

It has been one hell of a week.

Then again, all this has been going on a lot longer than just a week. Years, weighed down by dark clouds.

I am feeling so much relief and hope right now.

Joe Biden links the Ray Charles version of "America the Beautiful"

Labor's bitter lesson: change is hard to come by in this country

Their greater sorrow will be the dreams lost, at least for now. A republic. Indigenous recognition. A higher minimum wage, and fairer taxation. More progress on climate change.

Depressing and infuriating, for so many reasons.

Same-sex marriage signed into law by Governor-General

It took far longer than it should have, and was made much harder than it deserved. I'm still blinking that it's actually real now.

I want to believe that people are basically good.

But some days it's fucking hard.

Don't ever stop even though your heart is breaking
Don't look over your shoulder at the love you left behind
They say life's too short but they're wrong
It's so long
Sometimes the only way to go is to just go on

We go on together. You are not alone.

This wasn't the post I was expecting to make today. But making it has certainly made my day.

Malcolm Turnbull topples Tony Abbott in Liberal leadership ballot

\O/

Again, since when is it okay to depose a sitting Prime Minister?

I think both Rudd and Gillard have been poorly done by their party.

It would be farce if it didn't feel so much like tragedy. How did we get to here from there?