So we (Australia) are staring down the barrel of a federal election happening this Saturday. After a catty, childish mud-slinging campaign by the Libs and not a whole lot better behaviour from Labour, we're in that blissful three-day political advertising blackout phase leading up to E-day.

I'm hoping that we'll do better than the U.S.A.¹ and boot out a government that is (IMHO) arrogant, out of touch with the majority of its constituents to the point that it's sometimes internationally embarrassing, and one that is way too closely aligned to the current (dangerously insane) Bush administration like a bully's little kid brother. I mean, hello? We're a part of South East Asia, not the 52nd state of the U.S.A. (U.K. being the 51st, of course) and it's time we as a country pulled our head in and started acting like it.

[1] - Note to the people that call the U.S.A. "America": I'm pretty sure the other countries that make up the Americas - you know, those pesky ones that make up the whole of South America - would rather you stopped sounding like you're talking for both continents...