[ZenGum]

Not exactly upsetting, but a lot more than mildly irritating or groove scorching, is the state of Australia's election.

It looks like we will have a hung parliament, with the largest bloc (73 - 76 needed for a majority) being the Lib/Nat coalition, headed by Tony "the Mad Monk" Abbot. I do not want him to be PM. His attitudes would have gone well in about 1935; got elected largely by manipulating xenophobia about boat people.

The best thing is a substantial swing to the Greens, my party of first preference, but they just managed to win their first lower-house seat, and are a decade of phenomenal growth away from actually being a government.

So, in general: crap. Next election might be three years away. Unless the minority government thing doesn't work - then we might be back at the polls sooner.