The political other news

This past weekend, a state election. Everyone knew the approximate outcome in advance: after 16 years of Labor, historic landslide Liberal / National coalition victory. I had hoped voter antipathy might mitigate that somewhat, I know I wasn't the only one thinking perhaps a recapitulation of last year's national might be a good thing. But it didn't turn out that way at all, and I didn't vote for either of the major parties because I don't trust them, although since we end up with them I try to hope.

Walking to the polls, one of the folks handing out party 'how to vote' pamphlets recognised me as working at the library, and it didn't seem an appropriate moment to explain that being a volunteer rather than someone who receives income from the library in recompense for the work done there, I maybe can't quite claim to be 'someone who works there' (even though I go there and perform work for some hours each week). Apart from his being there on behalf of the Christian Democrats and thus The Enemy, that was a bit heartwarming and left me wondering why couldn't it have been someone else.

They, by the way- It was not so prominently covered on what I saw of the election night, but from a few days later it appears control of the state's upper house may no longer lie with the Greens, and instead could be in the hands of the Christian Democrats and the Shooters and Fishers party.

That worries me more than the lower house result, which had been all but foregone the past four years.