Australia has borrowed a lot from Britain.Â
More World News Videos
- Video duration
- 00:54
Has Theresa May's election gamble ...
Has Theresa May's election gamble backfired?
The Conservative leader called an election in a bid to strengthen hand in Brexit talks, but a shock exit poll predicts hung parliament with May to lose her majority.
Up Next
The search begins after building collapses in Kenya
- Video duration
- 00:33
- Video duration
- 00:33
The search begins after building ...
The search begins after building collapses in Kenya
Rescue services search the rubble for roughly 15 people missing after the collapse of Kenyan building.
Up Next
French riderless motorbike mystery solved
- Video duration
- 01:10
- Video duration
- 01:10
French riderless motorbike mystery solved
French riderless motorbike mystery solved
Was a ghost riding a motorbike down a French highway? No, and it's not a rare thing for motorcycles to ride off on their own.
Up Next
Parcel bomb explodes at South Korean university
- Video duration
- 00:52
- Video duration
- 00:52
Parcel bomb explodes at South Korean ...
Parcel bomb explodes at South Korean university
Security is being tightened after a parcel bomb exploded at South Korea's Yonsei University in central Seoul.
Up Next
IV drips and scented oxygen at Goop
- Video duration
- 01:45
- Video duration
- 01:45
IV drips and scented oxygen at Goop
IV drips and scented oxygen at Goop
Gwyneth Paltrow's costly inaugural In Goop Health summit featured IV drips, discussions of leech facials, scented oxygen, aura photographs and crystal healing.
Up Next
US basketballer Rodman expected in North Korea
- Video duration
- 00:48
- Video duration
- 00:48
US basketballer Rodman expected in North ...
US basketballer Rodman expected in North Korea
Former US basketball star Dennis Rodman - one of the only Americans to have ever met Kim Jong-un - is expected to arrive in North Korea, media reports say.
Up Next
Jury now deliberating in Cosby sex assault trial
- Video duration
- 00:55
- Video duration
- 00:55
Jury now deliberating in Cosby sex ...
Jury now deliberating in Cosby sex assault trial
Jurors in the Bill Cosby sexual assault trial are now deliberating whether he drugged and molested a woman more than a decade ago.
Up Next
Man clings to skyscraper 100m above street
- Video duration
- 01:41
- Video duration
- 01:41
Man clings to skyscraper 100m above street
Man clings to skyscraper 100m above street
Bystanders watch as 55-year-old French 'spiderman' Alain Robert climbs the Melia Barcelona Sky Hotel without a harness.
Has Theresa May's election gamble backfired?
The Conservative leader called an election in a bid to strengthen hand in Brexit talks, but a shock exit poll predicts hung parliament with May to lose her majority.
We've got the same Queen, same language, same preference for beer and sausages.Â
But for all the appropriating, why haven't we taken the British method for announcing the outcome of election results?Â
On Friday, as the exit polls for the UK general election predicted a shocker for the Conservatives, we have been treated to the spectacle of individual seats being declared.Â
In Australia, candidates on election night are separated at individual functions. Here, they mingle with supporters, check the count and speak to the media in their own protected little bubbles.Â
In the UK, all the candidates for a seat gather in community halls wearing coloured ribbons that correspond with their party. They then have to line up on stage while an official reads out their individual results. Â
It is a little bit public hanging, a little bit primary school speech day, a little bit dog show.
Prime Minister Theresa May had to trundle on stage with not just her Labour, Liberal Democrat and Greens challengers, but a dude in an Elmo suit (running as an independent), a man dressed as a Texan Elvis, and what looked like a Ned Kelly impersonator, going by the name of Lord Buckethead​.Â
It was a perfect visual representation of the opportunity and ridiculousness of democracy.Â
And it meant the fuss and frenzy of modern elections was momentarily paused as individuals stood up and publicly faced their opponents and voters.Â
There is something comforting about the process. It shows us the human side of the election show: from the slightly embarrassed wave of the guy that polled just 52 votes, to the "I'm trying not to puke" look on May's face as she grappled with her political mortality (at this point in Australia, the prime minister would be hiding away in a hotel room with their advisers and would only face the media in front of a huge crowd of supporters).
So we should adopt one more thing from the Brits and take on their method of announcing seats.Â
Election nights would be more interesting, more human and importantly, more Elmo.Â
95 comments
Comment are now closed