Alan Jones fires up and pats himself on the back for calling election

Australia’s best-known radio broadcaster launched straight into a savage election rant this morning and gave himself a huge pat on the back.

Once he’s settled into his chair, radio firebrand Alan Jones likes to start his 2GB show by informing his listeners about the day’s weather as they tune in, bleary-eyed, at 5.30am each weekday morning.

But today’s forecast was a little different from most.

Aside from a light touch of hazy pollution from hazard reduction burns affecting Sydney and a few clouds in Brisbane, Mr Jones said today would be a “bright day for Australia, I tell ya”.

And, within 10 seconds of starting his show, he launched into a tirade against Labor and its failed attempt to win power over the weekend.

Alan Jones couldn’t contain his excitement at Saturday’s result. Picture: 7 News

“One of the most ridiculous things Labor is now saying is that they didn’t explain their policies well enough,” he said after a five-second summary of the weather.

“Well, I have got news for you. It was because you explained them so splendidly that people took to you with a baseball bat.”

He alluded to shadow treasurer Chris Bowen’s now telling comments before Saturday’s vote, when he told Australia if people didn’t like Labor’s policies, they were “perfectly entitled” to vote against them.

“Be careful what you wish for,” said Mr Jones. “You’ve been smashed.”

He also hit out at the pollsters and their monumental blunders that led almost everyone to believe Labor would cruise to victory — and, in the process, gave himself a not-so-humble pat on the back for his prediction.

“If I might say modestly, I argued for years and years that no one could win the election with a 50 per cent renewable energy target,” he said.

“There’s plenty of so-called experts with egg on their face today, there’s no other way of saying it.”

After rattling off a long list of the seats where there were swings to the Coalition, he explained why he thought Saturday’s result was such a good win for everyday Australians.

“It’s an extraordinary story of an opposition trying to sell a ridiculous economic policy, which was going to raid almost every person and every business in the country,” he said. “We have been spared the national economic suicide note.”

Mr Jones lashed out at Labor’s economic policies. Picture: Kym Smith

Later in the show, he spoke to Scott Morrison and, predictably, showered him with praises — adding he spoke for “millions of Australians” when he told the Prime Minister how well he had done.

Mr Morrison returned the compliments, saying Mr Jones was one of the few commentators who believed in him.

“There weren’t too many people eight months ago who thought this was possible, but you were one of them,” he told Mr Jones before the giddy pair burst into laughter.

Perhaps the reason they sounded so excited was because Mr Morrison’s victory was a personal win for Mr Jones too.

During the election, Bill Shorten had, some say purposely, snubbed radio shows of 2GB’s biggest names, ­including Mr Jones, Ray Hadley, Ben Fordham and Chris Smith, as well as Melbourne radio’s biggest name, 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.

“Whether they like it or not, in 34 years of broadcasting no one has ever won an election by boycotting my program,” he told The Australian.

As the election was being called on Saturday night, Mr Jones turned heads with a bombastic lime green suit as he sparred with Mr Bowen.

Alan has brought it, outfit wise, for tonight’s #AUSVote19 coverage. pic.twitter.com/73LI7jEA2B

— Stephanie Peatling (@srpeatling) May 18, 2019

As defeat for Labor was confirmed and news came through Mr Shorten would concede in an hour, Mr Bowen told the panel climate change was still important, and “the Liberal party have not yet told us what their policies are”.

However, Mr Jones was smiling like the Cheshire cat.

“You people cannot persist with this notion of 45 per cent emissions reductions,” he sniped at Mr Bowen.

“The difference between us, Alan, is that I believe in climate change,” Mr Bowen hit back.

But all Mr Jones had to do was point at the results rolling through on Seven’s electronic board.

“Look at the scoreboard!” he said. “I believe in the scoreboard.”

Mr Jones will be on ABC’s Q&A tonight, alongside shadow minister for finance and potential Labor leadership contender Jim Chalmers and former Liberal MP Christopher Pyne.