The fat lady’s whinging, not singing

For most of Australia the election was over and done with two weeks ago but here, in our electorate of McEwen, the counting still goes on.

I had a vague notion on polling day that Fran Bailey, (former) Liberal Minister for Tourism & Small Business COULD get voted out of her previously safe seat here in McEwen. I have never liked Fran  – neither her political leaning and particularly not her modus operandi  – and that has made me a bit of a pariah around here, as a LOT of people I come into contact with, irrespective of their own political bent, do think she’s been a good local member and done much for the community.

Anyway, it’s looking like my vague notion is going to become a reality. After a count and a recount, Labour candidate Rob Mitchell has polled just 7 votes more than Fran. It’s apparently the second closest call in Australia’s electoral history (where some poor sod was pipped to the post by a mere 1 vote – he/she must have been particularly peeved at that result!).

But the Fat Lady hasn’t sung yet – she just keeps whining:   Fran has asked the Electoral Commission for a second recount as she clearly can’t accept that the people of McEwen have had enough of her. Actually, I suspect that the truth is that a large proportion of local voters weren’t so much intent on evicting ‘their’ Fran from her seat, but were voting instead to remove the Liberal Government from power – Fran may well be just one of the casualties required in order to achieve that end.