(no subject)
Dec. 4th, 2002 04:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hnpccWell the election turned out to be something of a walkover. Not really surprising any one though, most of the polls had been predicting it for weeks. And the Liberal's somewhat pathetic campaign didn't help... it's nice to not have to keep the remote next to you to avoid political advertising for a couple of years. :-)
I voted where I always vote, which is the former state and now private Primary school up the road (Jeff sold it). Normally this is a really busy polling station given that it's on the tram line, the bus line and it's within easy walking distance for the rest of us. When I went there though, at 10am what's more, it was dead quiet. I was outnumbered by people handing out leaflets. I was in and out in under 5 minutes! Surreal.
I think what happened is that when they redrew the electoral boundaries earlier this year the primary school ended up right on the edge of one of the boundaries. As a result people who formerly voted there went elsewhere because they couldn't work out which electorate it was in. I didn't think about that, I just rocked up and somewhat fortunately turned out to be on the same side of the street (and hence the same electorate) as the school. Not that it would have mattered that much though, I would have just absentee voted there anyway. It was also cold and occasionally raining in the morning, so that might have meant that some voters were hoping it would clear up before they went out to vote.
After I voted we went up to where Dean is enrolled (no, he hasn't changed it) and he voted. They had a sausage sizzle fundraiser going outside the polling place (the local high school) which was raking it in. Dean's was a bit busier, as a lot of people were combining shopping and sport with voting. Even so he was in and out in about 10 mins, pushing past the netball girls who were playing in the gym next door.
In the evening we watched maybe 10 mins of election coverage. Part of this was because Dean hates election coverage or politics of any description (we were in San Francisco during the 2000 elections staying at a friend's place. 3 of us were glued to the TV with the computer on getting live updates on the numbers. Dean was sitting in the corner reading magazines and going "this is boring! Can we go now?") and part was because it was such a rout and there were very few marginal seats and yeah, it did get a bit samey after a while... red bar goes up, blue bar goes down, swing goes to Labour.
Another election over. Probably 2 years till the next! Yay!!!!!!!
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I voted where I always vote, which is the former state and now private Primary school up the road (Jeff sold it). Normally this is a really busy polling station given that it's on the tram line, the bus line and it's within easy walking distance for the rest of us. When I went there though, at 10am what's more, it was dead quiet. I was outnumbered by people handing out leaflets. I was in and out in under 5 minutes! Surreal.
I think what happened is that when they redrew the electoral boundaries earlier this year the primary school ended up right on the edge of one of the boundaries. As a result people who formerly voted there went elsewhere because they couldn't work out which electorate it was in. I didn't think about that, I just rocked up and somewhat fortunately turned out to be on the same side of the street (and hence the same electorate) as the school. Not that it would have mattered that much though, I would have just absentee voted there anyway. It was also cold and occasionally raining in the morning, so that might have meant that some voters were hoping it would clear up before they went out to vote.
After I voted we went up to where Dean is enrolled (no, he hasn't changed it) and he voted. They had a sausage sizzle fundraiser going outside the polling place (the local high school) which was raking it in. Dean's was a bit busier, as a lot of people were combining shopping and sport with voting. Even so he was in and out in about 10 mins, pushing past the netball girls who were playing in the gym next door.
In the evening we watched maybe 10 mins of election coverage. Part of this was because Dean hates election coverage or politics of any description (we were in San Francisco during the 2000 elections staying at a friend's place. 3 of us were glued to the TV with the computer on getting live updates on the numbers. Dean was sitting in the corner reading magazines and going "this is boring! Can we go now?") and part was because it was such a rout and there were very few marginal seats and yeah, it did get a bit samey after a while... red bar goes up, blue bar goes down, swing goes to Labour.
Another election over. Probably 2 years till the next! Yay!!!!!!!
</lj-cut
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no subject
Date: 2002-12-04 02:06 am (UTC)Even better though was the one before last British general election. I had pay tv at the time and was able to watch it from start to finish on the BBC channel. I thoroughly enjoyed it, all the fun of a national election without any of the worry about what the result might mean to me. Indeed I enjoyed it so much I began to think that what I want is a world election channel to cover such elections anywhere. Not just an election night coverage but a series leading up to it to give a little background and explain a few of the issues and characters. I suppose I'm seeing it a little too much like sport which is a worry.
I'm not willing to run the gauntlet of the touts though. These days I go and vote a couple of weeks before at the Electoral office. I know how I'm voting long before election day so I see no reason not to avoid the institutionalised harrassment.
no subject
Date: 2002-12-04 11:12 pm (UTC)And I really enjoyed the previous Vic election (OK, the result helped) and the US election.
A world election channel would actually be quite interesting and I think useful. I mean, we get barely any coverage of European (outside the UK) elections unless the far right looks like having a chance (interesting we don't get coverage when the far left looks good, isn't it). Africa - forget it, other than Zimbabwe and RSA. South America - hm. I agree though, it is like sport. And if they can run a 24 hour sport channel, I'm sure they could manage an election channel.
After all, it's Australia's second favourite pastime...
;-)
no subject
Date: 2002-12-06 04:13 pm (UTC)Yes, the media isn't big on the idea of letting us know what's happening politicly in Europe. If I want to know what's happening in Germany, France, or Italy (all as important as the UK) I have to listen to the BBC World Service on late night radio. It's worth looking for if you happen to be up late. Much excelent coverage of parts of the world Australian media aren't aware exists. Especially, as you point out, when the left does well. No coincidence there I suspect.
One of the reason I'd like a world election channel is to better understand certain countries. It would have been excelent to follow the last couple of elections in India for example. That's one country where the political/social/religious situation interests me a great deal. It would be interesting and useful indeed.