As the five or six people here who've been following the Australian election this year know, today is election day in Australia. The big news is, of course, the heavy defeat for Labor, ending their six year rule and handing victory over to The Coalition, a center-right alliance of the Liberal Party (actually largely conservative) and the National Party. But there's been a little sideshow in this election: Julian Assange's "Wikileaks Party". We were treated to talk about how he was polling at 27% support (it only takes 14.29% of the vote, after preference reallocation, to win a seat). And it only takes a mere four percent to get campaign funding. With the overwhelming voice of the Australian public behind him, he was going to find a way to get Australia to put pressure on the UK to ignore their Supreme Court ruling that he be handed over to Sweden to stand trial for rape, and instead be allowed to return to Australia to take his seat. No matter what, it's a big prestige boost!
So, with the results wrapping up, Assange's tally is... wait for it...
1.19 percent. And no preferences from the other parties.
Flop. More about this epic fail below the fold.
Most reporters talking about Assange's strategy were kind enough not to use words like "delusional". After all, some really long shots have made their way into the Senate before - the Australian preferences system can lead to unexpected results. Of course, it wasn't just about getting votes that would be a problem - Assange's candidacy could be challenged on the premise of an invalid registration (arguing that he hadn't been in Australia as claimed), allegience or obedience to a foreign power, or about half a dozen other grounds, and not to mention that he would have been automatically disqualified if he didn't return to Australia to take his seat within 90 days. Nor was the concept of him becoming a senator and using that to get out of a warrant to be handed over for rape even remotely realistic. All that doesn't matter, because in the world of devoted Assange fans, this was a shoo-in.
Of course, what little chance there ever was of taking more than a couple percent of the vote started disappearing pretty quickly. Assange, whose main base of support comes from the left, gave interviews talking about how he's a hard core Rand Paul liberarian who thinks that taxation and abortion are "violence". But that was nothing compared to what happened next. After having missed almost all of the party's teleconferenced meetings, he suddenly overrode the party's democratically-chosen preference deals to give the party's preferences to far-right parties, including the neo-nazi headed "Australia First" party. He then tried to blame what happened as "administrative errors", and blocked the investigation. When the dust cleared, what followed was a wave of mass resignations, including nearly half of the party board, a cofounder of the Wikileaks website, and the number two in the party, candidate Leslie Cannold. Which was then followed by a wave of scathing indictments of the party and its head published online and in the press by its former leaders, even a recommendation on the official party website to vote for the Greens in one of their races.
But no matter - according to Assange, it was just teething problems caused by - I'm sure this would come as quite a shock to those who resigned due to his meddling - "over-delegating functions to the Australia party". And hey, the Greens were directing preferences to WikiLeaks in Victoria and were going to get 17% (they got 11%) and give all their extra to Assange, right?!
Aaaaand........ flop.
To sum up:
* My sympathies, Australians. But America survived Bush, you'll make it through Abbot.
* This latest Assange sideshow is now done. Who knows what his next grand scheme to escape having to stand trial for rape will be, but at least this one is done.
* He'll have to find another use for his mullet wig and offensive comedy other than ticking off his hosts for the third time in recent months.
* Flop.