Missing Link après le déluge edition

Miss Haversham refuses a proposal from Terry Sedgwick

I was nearly going to call this the Year Zero edition of Missing Link, but it would give people the wrong idea. I’m not all that negative about Kevin07, and I’m certainly as happy as anyone that John Winston Howard has been retired.

This edition compiled by James Farrell, Gilmae, Saint in a Straitjacket, Darlene Taylor, Rebecca Leighton and Ken Parish, with editing by the latter. Sorry about the slight delay, the wiki crashed.

1. News and Politics Stuff

Election Stuff

So this is why all those dickheads in the national tally room were making so much noise and giving poor Kerry O’Brien the shits!

Of all the words that will be spilled over the next few days regarding the traditional post-election blood letting, none shall top those of Possum Comitatus:

Its a tough choice for the top job of the Chief Eater of the shit sandwich, and thats exactly what being the first Opposition leader of a routed government is all about.

Ken Lovell’s post election haiku captures the moment to perfection.

It’s over, writes Adrian Glamorgan, but he can’t forget that it was ‘people like us’ who kept it going for twelve years.

The Apathetic Ones worked at a polling booth on the big day. Sarah’s photo essay on the day’s events makes enjoyable reading, as does Gam’s list of the choice moments. This one conveys the flavour:

6) The atmosphere at Howard’s concession. It was like he was Jim Jones. This guy kept screaming about how much he loved Howard. I was expecting them to break out cups of poisoned kool aid any minute.

At the same time, Gam gives Howard credit where it’s due, while Slatts hopes for some equal opportunity scrutineering. And Sam ‘Yobbo’ Ward chips in with his favourite election day ~~momento~~ memento.

Blogging Senator Andrew Bartlett has lost his seat along with the four other remaining Australian Democrat Senators. Andrew has been a tireless crusader for government accountability and the rights and interests of marginalised groups. In addition he is passionate about community engagement in politics, and has been a pioneer in using a blog for this purpose — diarising his activities, explaining policy issues with great clarity, setting out his own positions, and gathering feedback. We wish him well and urge him to keep up the blogging whatever direction his life takes after the midyear change of the guard.

Mark Bahnisch explains Labor’s stunning success in Queensland. He apparently predicted on Crikey! that Dawson would fall, so he’s not just a pretty face after all. Having dismally failed to predict the election outcome, Andrew Landeryou tries his hand on the new Rudd ministry.

High on her balcony, Helen has scripted the backroom drama preceding the PM’s concession speech. And, for time-poor readers, William Burroughs’ Baboon has a succinct analysis that touches on all the crucial elements.

Guido can’t quite believe the election result, while Suki celebrates in rather more concise terms.

John Quiggin predicts that the Liberal Party will never win another federal election. He attributes the result in part to the own-goal of greenhouse denialism. In the meantime, John lists some tasks for Rudd, including keeping his bad promises. Also looking beyond the election, Robert Merkel is pleased that Australia now has a chance to have constructive input into the Bali talks on the post-Kyoto greenhouse emissions framework.

Gary Sauer-Thompson warns of difficult economic times ahead, and ponders the ramifications for the future policy of the new government.

Guy at Polemica ponders whether Rudd can be seen to have a mandate on industrial relations, and argues that a new Coalition leader would be unwise to block Labor changes.

Over at Webdiary, Stephen Smith talks about spending election night in the tally room.

Coalition leadership vacuum has also attracted plenty of attention. Hork reviews the contenders (as does Daily Flute with pictures), even suggesting that Petro Georgiou would make an excellent Liberal leader if it weren’t for the fact that he has the “charisma of a rutabaga“. Ken Lovell sees a cricket parallel:

Anyway this kind of puts the Libs in a hole something like the Australian cricket team when Shane Warne retired and Stuart McGill was supposed to step into his shoes but Stuie decided hed spent 15 fucken years playing second fiddle to Warnie and hed got to like the high life and all he was good for now was bowling waist high full tosses and the selectors said shit wadda we do now

barista writes on media policy and laments that Labor pollies aren’t what they used to be.

Andrew Elder reviews his election predictions and doesn’t think much of the national press gallery.

Ambit Gambit on the bizzare leadership challenge in the Queensland Liberal Party. ((Cryptozoologists are besides themselves with smug vindication.~gilmae))

International Stuff

Derek Barry reports on the eruption of violence in Bolivia, where the conservative opposition is escalating its disruption of President Morales’ reforms.

2. Life and Other Serious Stuff

The election may have adverse consequences for blogging. ‘What’s a boy to blog about, now that the unmissed, unregretted Howard era is over?’

Nicholas Gruen is looking for ideas on tax system tweaks.

Steve ~~Edney~~ Munn highlights a recent Monash Uni study on the effects of AWAs on the working poor, and attempts to rationalise lack of free will with compassion and progressivism.

Cam Riley summarises the idea of anthropogenic “wilderness”.

3. The Yartz

There hasn’t been a lot of arty stuff going on in the Oz blogosphere over the last few days. Ben Peek is one arty chap who’s been more interested in posting about politics recently. Mr. Peek’s not exactly thrilled with the election result:

And so Australia picked the Lesser Evil.

Interestingly, Mr. Peek revealed in an earlier post that he doesn’t vote. So, apparently, not all Australians voted for the Lesser or Greater Evil.

Do you want to get Inside the Mind of Freud? The Art Life discusses an exhibition of antiquities belonging to the late psychiatrist:

According to Turner, Freud’s antiquities have much to say about Freud, the man. “Freud is one of the great men of our time, a true genius”, says Turner. Many people have felt intimidated by his theories – the Oedipus complex and penis envy for example. This exhibition looks to place these theories in context, and in so doing, understand him.”

The Elegant Variation is “here to bury (Christopher) Hitchens, not to praise him.”

Matilda looks at Guardian Unlimited’s “Christmas books past, present and future: Part three”.

Feministing features the poster advertising Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. People leaving comments on the site disagree on whether the poster is sexist, smart, sexy, stupid or a combination thereof.

Audrey Apple praises the late Matt Price’s writing skills, and points out, rightly, that he was a “handsome pin up boy for the thinking woman.” If only more journalists had his humour and good looks.

4. T.S.S

(troppo sports stadium)

Mike “Football Tragic” Salter reviews the Olyroos draw with North Korea which resulted in their qualifying for carbon monoxide poisoning at next year’s Beijing Olympics.

Tony the Teacher ponders portentously about the quality of Australian television cricket coverage, then completely discredits himself by saying nice things about the execrable Marieke Hardy. ((Personal opinion from which other contributors are hereby disassociated ~ KP))

Will from “The Corridor” comments on Darren “Boof” Lehmann’s spectacular career-ending one day knock after being tapped on the shoulder by selectors.

5. Mad, Bad, Sad and Glad

Victorian teacher “The Blonde Canadian” is angry about someone who’s angry about Victorian teachers going on strike.

Peter Black hypothesises that Facebook might be able to find a way to avoid the inevtable trajectory of decay followed by social networking sites, as users desert them as they get flooded with “friends” who aren’t. Peter also points to a web designer who argues that Facebook’s design is brilliant but evil.

Graham Young is very sad that Mal Brough lost his seat and thinks the Libs should find him another (pity they don’t have too many to spare any more):