As the dust of the election is settling, and with Anthony Albanese sworn in as the 31 Prime Minister of Australia, the main show for the 2022 Election is almost done.
The result was a bloodbath for the Liberals, while the Nationals clung on to power, a lot of the proud Liberal electorates were flipped and changed colour. A sea of Teal and a sea of Red with a splash of Green have completely eroded the strong hold of the Coalition government from 75 seats to just 57 (some are yet to be decided but projection is low for the Liberals). The Liberal Party has gone from a minority government to a minority, period.
This election for me unfolded like the play of Macbeth, with greed and arrogance eventually lead to the death of a government, whom think enough is not enough. The writing of its defeat is on the wall as soon as the play opened, but Scott Morrison and the Liberal Party, who backstabbed Malcolm Turnbull, who promoted him, and removed him like Macbeth did to King Duncan, soldiered on. They pushed on with its bullish and hard right agenda, thinking they can capitalise the populist sentiments, stirred up by the Lady Macbeth like Murdoch media empire. Fanning the heat of religious conservatism, and stirring the fear of cultural warfare, while initiating several of them itself. The Murdoch media empire became the music to the ear of a Liberal Party that cannot make up its decision but go along with the flow like Macbeth himself. The Murdoch media empire might not have spilled the blood itself, but definitely got blood on its hands.
The end result?
The Liberal Party, like Macbeth was slayed by the enemy, and like Malcolm, the dethroned Labor Party, was helped by some Macduff like parties, moved back into governing the lands. All this happens while the Murdoch media empire continued to descend into lunacy on the side, screaming about blood on her hands, while not acknowledging the bloodbath she had created in the process. The so-called right wing cultural warriors screamed and yell at the camera, pointing fingers everywhere but themselves, and placed blame on the voters who were, well, sick and tired of their daily screaming and partisan ‘opinions’. Whether the Murdoch media empire will commit suicide by lunacy in the end would depend on whether there is a real Murdoch Royal Commission, and that’s something to be seen.
There are a lot of analysis on both sides of the media, but the Macbeth like ascension to the top job had not done Scott Morrison and the Liberal party any good.
Just like Macbeth, Scott Morrison thought that he was the rightful ruler. Macbeth was prophesised by the Three Witches, and Scott Morrison just think that he is God’s chosen one to rule (with his admission at a church event). By that notion, you have distance yourself from the reality of the society and politics. Scott Morrison is a good politician, but his focus on just politics and nothing else eventually led to his demise. Macbeth was desperate to cling on to power, so he backstabbed and removed anyone on his way, without knowing the fact that by doing that he also removed a lot of allies and support he needs to survive.
During the later days, you can see, no matter how bullish Scott Morrison said, he is ridden with self-doubt. The blame shifting and the lies to cover lies had undone him in the final days like Macbeth’s lies to his own rules.
Anthony Albanese might not look like Malcolm but he was from a previous government that now in opposition for a decade. Little was known of him, and he was ridden with insecurity at the start of the election campaign. Stumble and gaffes were magnified and he did not seem like a future Prime Minister to some. But just like Malcolm, victory was delivered to him by the third party.
The sea of Teals and the ground works laid by the Green had eclipsed the foundation of the Coalition government. Great generals for Scott Morrison like Josh Frydenberg, Tim Wilson, Trent Zimmerman fell one after another. The Greens, just like the Birnam Wood became a downfall for key seats in Queensland, an once stronghold of the Coalition government.
But the Macduff of this election was the Independents, being collectively regarded as the Teal in this election, became the main challenge of the Coalition government, delivering one critical blow after another to major seats of the Scott Morrison government, and delivered the Prime Ministership to Anthony Albanese. Scott Morrison initially dismissed them, thinking that no women born can unseat him like Macbeth, without knowing that he underestimated them. In this case, they are not just women born, they are women, whom he had alienated for years and used his wife to shade upon repeatedly. Eventually he was undone by these women.
It was a blood bath. It was about greed. It was about self-proclaimed divinity. But more importantly it was about the integrity Scott Morrison had come undone for himself through his relentless pursuit of power, and willing to sacrifice anyone he considered in his way. At the end of the day, he got no allies. His tears on the podium akin to crocodile tears, just that this time there are no more meals.
How this political play would continue to play out on the Australian stage is yet to be seen. But at least this time round, it received rounds of applause from most of the audience – the Australian voters, who bought the ticket and keep the production afloat.
