Rudd Gets the Mackerras Kiss of Death

One of our favourite political contrarian indicators is ringing alarm bells:

FUTURE history books will note that John Howard was one of two prime ministers (the other being Ben Chifley) whose governments were defeated as a consequence of abusing Senate power, one of two (the other being Stanley Bruce) to lose his own seat at the general election defeat and one of two (the other being Robert Menzies) to serve 10 years in the top job.

Mackerras’ enthusiasm for writing history before it has actually happened is matched only by his enthusiasm for the past:

I remember 1950 as though it were yesterday.

Of course, some of us also remember 2004:

”[Mackerras] pendulum swings to Kerry landslide” (The Australian, 1 November 2004).