A Matter of Trust

For six weeks, pundits and commentators and grandmothers in shopping centers had labeled the contest too close to call. On election eve, opinion polls made different predictions, weary campaign managers declined to tip a result, and the only bet John Howard was willing to make was that he'd be back on the golf course this weekend. But on Saturday night, Australian voters not only ended the uncertainty, they scoffed at it, giving the Howard government its fourth successive term with an historic increased majority, scuppering the Labor Party's revival hopes with a 3.3% swing to the Coalition, and whipping Howard supporters...