ELECTION DAY ROLLING BLOG - THE END

As new information and interesting tidbits become available, I'll be updating this blog throughout the day.

In the morning Kevin Rudd did the traditional leader's Election Day excercise.  Travelling with the large media pack to a small voting hall, he squeezed in and somehow avoided lining up to make his final vote - more then likely for himself.

The speed with which he emerged from the closed adjoining room indicated a man who voted above the line.

Despite a strong showing from various booth dwellers in "Kevin '07" t-shirts, several other parties made their presence known.  Socialist Alliance representatives called  out the the Opposition Leader as he headed down the path to the voting booth, asking and demanding that he close down refugee detention centres.

Mr. Rudd chose to completly ignore them.

The atmosphere in the media pack is largely a mixture of excitement and relief.  With most journalists having travelled for the entire six weeks of campaigning, most are worn out and bored with the highly controlled activites presented by both sides of politics.

The real action for Labor will begin around 7pm, when initial counting starts showing the voting trends of most eastern states.  Until then, it will largely be the waiting game as Kevin Rudd stays far away from where his media contingent is in the privacy of his closest advisors and family.

More to come.

UPDATE:

If Nick and Matt find a football analogy subtly fitting for their tally room placement, my view is akin to a 'gangsta blasta' - pumping out heavy metal on a massive scale.

The media have begun to arrive at Suncorp Stadium and so have the numbers from the various electorates.

As heads turn as one toward TVs tuned to SKY and ABC, no sign of Koshi and his Channel Seven coverage, the heated speculation continues amongst seasoned political journos.

"Talk about Bennelong!" yells Matthew Franklin from The Australian.  "She's analysing Eden," is the call-out as Gillard takes the spotlight.  The only thing missing is the buttered popcorn + Choc Top combos, and that's only because party pies are more popular.

The majority have called it on the side of Rudd with various degrees of success.  From the barely victorious margins of two or three seats to "Ruddslides" gains as predicted by SkyNews exit polls.

The quiet Howard-predicting minority sit in the comfy sofas, sipping at beers and surprisingly confident.  For them the drama will unfold quite late in the game, when seat to seat combat in Queensland and Western Australia begin an hour after the other Eastern states are firm.

The night is young, the bar is open - the TVs are blaring.  If the Cowboys were out on the ground, noone here would give a sh*t.

8pm:

As the night wears on and numbers start pouring through, cheers are coming from the direction of the hall, by now slowly filling with the Labor Faithful.

Cameramen and 'snappers' from the media organisations pump their fists in victory as the ABC predicts the loss of Benelong for the Liberals - and more specifically John Howard.  Journalists are a litle more balanced, or at least quiet, as smiles spread wide at the thought of a Labor win and evil grins start up at the idea of a deposed Howard.

In the seat of Wentworth, the "Peter King" effect has taken hold - the much-hyped George Newhouse hardly rating a mention even with preferences.

As it stands at 8pm, Labor couldn't be much much happier with where they are.  Despite Queensland counts barely starting up, expectations are that Australia will know it's PM by the time the Sunshine State starts releasing data.

11:31



Photo: Ed Giles

It was long, it was hard and it was certainly very painful.  But there's one thing it surely wasn't - Kevin Rudd's victory.

As the results poured in the nation's future was certain without a doubt very early on.  The board was red with the colour of Labor and the tears, sweat and blood of fallen Liberal candidates - candidates John Howard himself tried to concede in his speech of defeat.

But if Howard was trying to be gracious he certainly hid it well.  The Labor faithful were forced to wait as John Howard waited till the last possible moment to step onto stage and admit his loss - of both control of the nation and his seat of Bennelong.

In a game of political Chicken, Kevin Rudd stuck to his guns and waited for the man to call up and say it, "I've lost, Mr. Rudd."

A full run down, or "Rudd-down" as Matt wants me to call it, wil be in by 10am on Sunday - stay tuned for it, my friends.

But until then I'll give you a slight taste of what's to come.  I, David Ramli, have nothing to gain and everything to lose by talking negative about an incoming government.  But there's something serious that I need to discuss - and goodness knows Kevin '10 won't love me.






















Photo: Ed Giles