The recent Federal election saw the seeing off of two party leaders, Peter Dutton and Adam Bandt. Both initially came as a surprise to me given their high profiles, but became less surprising with the passing of time.

For Liberal Party leader Dutton, the ascent of Trump proved a powerful drag on his chances of becoming the next PM. A man of little charisma and with a penchant for the negative, he became the wrong man at the wrong time.

Bandt's demise caught everyone on the hop. The Greens had been growing in popularity in recent elections. Not so this election in which a swing against the party has seen 3 of their 4 House of Rep seats fall.

There is a wider narrative here which will be fleshed out in coming months. Two decades ago the Greens were the party of environmental protection. Now and then I cast a vote for them in the Senate. Somewhere in the last ten years, they have morphed into a more fully-fledged left wing party, beholden to many issues that ordinary Australians have little interest in. Moreover, a tone of the most egregious self-righteous moralising, together with unconstructive behaviour in the parliament, has seen their star begin to wane.

It's too early yet to say whether the rot has set in. They may bounce back in three years. Hopefully the focus will return to their strong suit, the environment.

 

January 17^th 1836

‘In the middle of the day we baited our horses at a little Inn, called the Weather-board. The country here is elevated 2800 feet above the sea. About a mile & a half from this place there is a view exceedingly well worth visiting; following down a little valley & its tiny rill of water, an immense gulf is suddenly & without any preparation seen through the trees which border the pathway at the depth of perhaps 1500 ft. Walking a few yards farther, one stands on the brink of a vast precipice, & below is the grand bay or gulf, for I know not what other name to give it, thickly covered with forest.’

The quotation above is a part of Charles Darwin's diary entry on January 17th 1836. The place where he 'baited' his horse, the little inn called the Weather-board, is where Wentworth Falls is located today. And the walk he did, or a close approximation of it, is now called Charles Darwin's Walk.

It is really an easy stroll by the usual standard of Blue Mountains tracks - very little up and down - and is currently being reconstructed with new bridges and stairs. Today, Ann and I went as far as construction allowed us to and we will save the rest for another day. The portion that we did (perhaps half) was well worth it, somewhat more than the 'little valley and...tiny rill of water' though nothing compared to what we would have encountered at the cliff face ahead.

Sometimes I forget the sheer joy that singing can bring. I enjoy singing by myself, of course, but enjoy even better singing with other singers. They don't necessarily have to be very good at it, though of course that helps in the long run. If there's an audience present, it helps them too.

Moo Choir will shortly begin our 2025 season, starting with a favourite venue at the Buckland Village. Our repertoire leans heavily to pop influenced arrangements this time, most of which will be known in their original form to the audience. It is a nice relaxing gig with no pressure.

I have been in choirs a long time now and have done a lot of shows. It is never quite like the very beginning days, when we filled Mountains venues with our not fully rehearsed or remembered material. You could have cut the air with the nervous energy from those somewhat chaotic choristers.

Not so these days. Preparation is everything. There is no stone left unturned with Mr Fox.

Having watched Federal elections for 50 years now, and knowing how tenuous the hold that Labor has had on being in power is, last nights election result were a serious one off. It was not expected. Even when the polls pointed to a comfortable outcome for the Government, few people thought that the avalanche that occurred could ever take place. Australians are simply too cautious for that, right?

But there you are are. We have a majority Labor Government with a mandate to implement. It has three years of experience being in government, so no excuses about being green. The Opposition is decimated. World events could well prove stumbling blocks but even then, good management can see us through.

A lot of folks are putting much faith in this second Albanese Government. It needs to deliver over the next three years.

The other day I answered a fairly comprehensive survey about my political, economic and social outlook. Vote Compass was looking to best match my outcomes with the most appropriately placed political party. Here are the results represented on a chart. I was surprised just how close I came to the party that I support.

 A Federal election is upon us tomorrow after what most commentators have called a desultory campaign by the major parties. Lacking in any well-founded vision for the nation's future, both the Government and the Opposition have opted for handing out election 'sweeteners.' That is a kind way of saying bribes to vote.

It may have been impossible in the current climate to create an exciting program within the broad parameters of financial restraint, but no-one has really tried. Unfunded handouts are much easier and only the economists can tell you why that's not a good thing. But no one if swing voter land listens to them.

For obvious reasons, this election might have allowed for some daylight to be shed on the US alliance, which currently has a question mark over it. Sure, Trump is gone in a few years and things might right themselves, or they may not. AUKUS, in my opinion, was a mistake. Politicians seem only look at the prestige of taking delivery of nuclear powered subs. Good as they are, I don't see how they are effective for a regional player like Australia, who might have been better served by a modern fleet of diesel-electrics.

As for tomorrow, the polls favour the Government. But they have been wrong both here and overseas in recent years. Can they be trusted this time? We shall see.

Getting On

I had not thought much,

Of the precipice below,

Well, not seriously so,

Just a lightish touch,

A wink and a nod

To bleak nothingness -

Unknowing unbeing

In prose and verse.

It was a mist of

Not sensing or seeing

Where others had trod,

As if turning each sod

Was uniquely just me.

But I am no Adam,

Who at boundaries lip

Was the first to clock it,

Whose ancient slip

Led to this very bluff,

As if free-falling,

Were not enough.

Most days that I go in to town to do a shift with 2RPH, I make a point of dropping into the church at Haymarket, St Peter Julian. It is one of those lovely oases of silence in a sea of urban noise. On the footpath at the front door, crowds ply their way up and down George Street. There is a light rail station less than 5 metres away, with trams every few minutes. One of the busiest spots in the CBD!

But inside is dark, save only for the gorgeous stained glass windows behind the altar, dim lights from the ceiling, and the shimmer of candles from an adjacent Marian chapel. Unlike St Finbars, this church has the old pull-down kneelers (which I love). It is hard for me to sit in a church when I could be kneeling. That is just how I am and my prayers seem much more powerful. I know some prefer to stand and that's okay too.

My Features Forum shift yesterday was quite different. My regular readers were away, so I hosted and read the articles with another kind soul who volunteered to help. Doing the shift by myself (reading news items for 90 minutes whilst handling all the other bells and whistles) is very difficult - not beyond me - but a heavy lift. 

I need to remind myself constantly that this job is about others - others who are often disadvantaged by poor vision, loneliness or lack of resources. We are a window for them. It is all too easy to get caught up in ego, which is the enemy of service.