ScoMo rewarded for putting trust in the silent majority

THE results are in. The poll that really counts proved all others wrong. For the retirees and small business operators, the ominous dark clouds on the horizon were swept away by what many have described as a miracle and you can hear the intake of breath in their relief.

“How good is Australia and how good are Australians,” said a clearly elated Scott Morrison as he paid tribute to the silent majority who expressed their thoughts through the ballot box.

Bill Shorten in his concession speech left the party faithful with some wise words, “you never give up.”

Considering the expectations of this election those words proved prophetic for underdog Morrison who never faltered in his belief that as long as you moved forward and trusted the people to decide for themselves, victory was achievable. Now, that’s the definition of faith and determination.

A lot came out of this election and both parties will reflect on what went wrong and what they can do better. The same goes for the pollsters who clearly got it wrong.

While scrutineering at William Duncan School in Moncrieff it became clear early in the counting that Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party failed to impress the voters with a stack of votes that eventually reached less than 100.

The nickel in Clive’s pocket despite the tens of millions he spent probably had much to do with that, but it does put to question the charge that you can buy an election.

Obviously if your actions and message do not sit well with the electorate, it doesn’t matter how much you spend.

That said, Palmer’s message did eat into the weaknesses in the Labor campaign and negated the effect of Get Up.

Also notable were the informal votes, those who did not mark their ballot paper, wrote inane comments or simply did not fill them out correctly.

Marginal seats demonstrate that every vote counts and as annoying as it may be for some, those ‘how to vote’ flyers are offered to assist you to get it right and make your vote count.

As for those who didn’t bother to fill their ballot in or wrote some inane comment, your hard-won right to vote is a freedom that allows you to have a say in how our country is run.

If you don’t vote you also relinquish your right to bitch about the government you get and if you do, I don’t want to hear it. BOB JANSSEN, GOLD COAST