After more than two weeks, the stalemate in Australia is finally over with Julia Gillard getting three of the five indies plus the one Green to her side. Her challenger, Tony Abbott, got only the other two "crossbenchers."
So Gillard wins, but just barely, 76-74. As usual it was money that did it -- she promised a roughly AUD 10 billion (CAD 9.5 billion) increase in transfer payments for health, education and the all-encompassing "infrastructure." (Sound familiar, fellow Canadians?) Mind you, Oz can afford to do it -- with a mass sale of assets during the 1990s the country has a debt load per capita about less than a quarter of ours, less than a tenth of the States. But while I am glad she won, I don't like the idea of bribes no matter how constituted.
With such a narrow margin, and with the usual attrition that occurs during any parliamentary term (death, illness, resignation -- any of which triggers a by-election), I give Ms Gillard 18 months before she calls another poll (Parliaments Down Under are usually three years) or she herself is ousted in a party coup.
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1 comment:
What a sham of an election. Bribes and of course the threat of another election unless sorted out.
Next July will be interesting, as the Greens will have the Senate. They'll be making the big decisions.
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