The British people have spoken. But not with one voice. The commonalities between a series of recent elections, including last year's federal poll in Australia, are striking.
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Theresa May vows to bring stability if she wins
British Prime Minister Theresa May says her country needs a period of stability and she will take responsibility for delivering it if she wins the most seats.
Theresa May, like Malcolm Turnbull, had seized the leadership of her country mid-term. Initial popularity had seen both PMs opt for early elections and bizarrely extended campaigns. They assumed their innate superiority would shine through. But no.
Turnbull survived by a whisker, and only then by substantially bankrolling his party's desultory campaign. At present, May's fate is unknown - her future as Tory leader hangs in the balance.
![Prime Minister Theresa May arrives for the declaration at her constituency.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170613164615im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/w/o/1/f/i/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwo0td.png/1497008572301.jpg)
Some bookmakers believe Labour's Jeremy Corbyn - assumed by the Tories to be unelectable - is more likely to occupy Number 10.Â
Both May and Turnbull had succumbed to the oldest temptation in government: hubris - their inflated self assessment, exacerbated by a chronic under-estimation of their opponents' strengths.
In each case the longer the campaign period dragged on, the less compelling became their case for another term. And the stronger grew their respective opponents.
This is among the clear electoral lessons handed out in these near death - or actual death - experiences.
![Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his wife Lucy cast their vote in the 2016 federal election.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170613164615im_/https://www.fairfaxstatic.com.au/content/dam/images/g/p/w/w/i/f/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gwo0td.png/1497008572301.jpg)
Outside of elections, opposition leaders struggle to be known and struggle to be seen by voters as occupying the same plane as prime ministers.
Election campaigns help equalise that, as the contenders necessarily share the national stage.
Another lesson: don't seek the voters' approval unless you absolutely have no choice.
Across the western world, people are in a fractious, impatient frame of mind. Established party allegiances are unreliable.
Orthodox politicians presenting unexciting more-of-the-same manifestos pale against populists and radicals.
And early elections, called for transparently non-urgent reasons, especially after those polls have been expressly rule out, only rile them further.
Britain was needlessly divided by the foolish Brexit referendum. The churlish decision to leave Europe is a wildcard which has thrown economy security into doubt, denied the country the moderate conservatism of David Cameron's leadership, and now, has underlined that confusion with a hung Parliament.Â
United Kingdom? It's even less true today.
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