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Sunday, August 22, 2010

I Met a Strange Lady, She Made Me Nervous

Well, Australia's left-leaning prime minister may have had a short reign, unable to convince voters that she should continue Labor's policies, depending on the negotiations over forming a government in what could be a hung parliament:

With 78 percent of votes counted, a hung parliament was most likely, with two possible scenarios for a minority government: a conservative administration backed by rural independents or a Labor government backed by Green or green-minded MPs.

The latter scenario is frightening for many investors, with Prime Minister Julia Gillard indicating on Sunday after early talks with independent and Green MPs that she was open to discussing the policies of this disparate group of lawmakers.

Or Tony Abbot could succeed in forming a government from the right side. Although he couldn't make the case enought to earn the right to form the government with a parliamentary majority.

I have no idea what this might mean for Australia's role in the fight in Afghanistan. Or for their defense plans focused on China. It's enough to make me chunder.

You better run, you better take cover, until this is all sorted out.