Left commentators vent shock disappointment over federal election result on Twitter
Scott Morrison’s election upset sparked a furious Twitter frenzy as devastated darlings of the left struggled to comprehend the Australian public’s verdict.
Scott Morrison’s election upset sparked a furious Twitter frenzy as devastated darlings of the left struggled to comprehend the Australian public’s verdict.
Some commentators said they wished they were in New Zealand, a number lashed their fellow Australians as “dumb’’ for daring to vote against their wishes while others called for a war to be declared against Queensland.
Controversial former Sydney Morning Herald columnist Clementine Ford took aim at self-funded retirees and called Australians “bigots”.
“The planet is dying and intolerance is being enthusiastically embraced by bigots the nation over, but thank God the self-funded retirees got to keep their rich people welfare,” she tweeted.
Former ABC presenter Yassmin Abdel-Magied questioned what people would think of her on the street after Mr Morrison’s win. “I’m not berated by people every time I walk down a street, in any country really, but then one wonders, what are those people thinking?”
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Another former ABC journalist Mike Carlton tweeted that “we may have to declare war on Queensland” in reference to Labor’s damaging swings in the Sunshine State.
And commentator Jane Caro said she wanted to leave the country altogether, tweeting: “I wish I was a New Zealander”.
“Well, Australia may be f … ed and the whole planet not far behind but I am at the best, most brilliant and cool wedding I have ever been too,” Caro wrote as the election results came in.
“So I shall just dance & get pissed & stick two rude fingers up at all the truculent turds who voted to turn backwards.”
The Project host Lisa Wilkinson also looked across the ditch in an open letter to Mr Morrison and wrote: “If you’re ever in doubt when those big decision-making moments arise, when all the nation turns its lonely eyes to you, if despite all your best efforts you find that wisdom is failing you, can you do us a favour? Just call Jacinda.”
Fellow Project presenter Meshel Laurie blasted the public, writing “Australians are dumb, mean-spirited and greedy. Accept it,” while Nine Newspapers cartoonist Cathy Wilcox tweeted, “it seems unfair that the morons outnumber the thinking people at election time”.
University of Sydney political sociology professor Ariadne Vromen said such tweets reflected the fact that while Twitter tended to be heavily skewed towards people who were politically engaged, the vast majority of Australians used Facebook.
“A lot more older people use (it) more regularly to share posts with their friends and family and what we do know is ScoMo was getting some of the highest levels of engagement on Facebook.”
She said the Prime Minister had also been using Instagram to promote himself as a “an effective man in touch with the people”.
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