
So just to recap:
There’s been a big swing against the coalition which the right wing of the party are trying to say is because Malcolm Turnbull turfed Tony Abbott, who would have won definitively, they insist, because they’re deluded. According to them, Malcolm then blew it by being too moderate and that’s why the election result has been a disaster for the coalition who may not win enough seats to form government.
I disagree. I think part of the swing against the government was BECAUSE of Tony Abbott. Remember, we never got the chance to vote him out. And Malcolm didn’t fundamentally change or reverse many of his policies – plebiscite, anyone?
Watch Mia’s Snapchat from Election day. It’s what everyone was thinking. (Post continues after video.)
I think the swing against the government was due to Malcolm being hamstrung by his own party. Ultimately, he’s his own man and he got to decide what he said, who he spoke to, what policies he supported and what he stood for. But the sense that he wasn’t being “real Malcolm” and that he was towing the conservative line to keep the likes of Cory Bernardi and other Abbott supporters in his corner was pervasive.
Forget being too moderate (as the deluded conservatives who backed Abbott are trying to say today), many believe Malcolm stumbled because he was not moderate enough. He disappointed so many people on both sides who wanted to vote for him because they thought he stood for the progressive centre but saw no sign of it during the interminable eight week campaign, or indeed since he became PM.
What happened to you, Malcolm? Where did you go?
The fact he refused to do interviews throughout the campaign with so many mainstream media outlets like Sunrise, Today, The Project and Mamamia – where so many of those centrist voters are – was misguided and bizarre. It did him no favours with millions of people, particularly women.
Check out social media’s response to the election. (Post continues after gallery.)
Response to the election
