You asked - after election I was concerned, but cautiously optimistic. But now.....nup. Just....nup.
I probably wasn't as wary as you, but when Howard lost in 2006, whilst disappointed, I was prepared to give Rudd a bit of leeway. I could see that the Howard government had run its course and was becoming tired and arrogant and felt that a change of government might not be such a bad thing. Rudd was a bit of an unknown back then, but it didn't take him long to convince me that his leadership was seriously flawed. It took a bit longer for me to decide that the Government he led was going to make a hash of things.
What I find difficult to comprehend is the depth of hatred that Abbott has about him from the opposite side of the fence, so soon after gaining office. It's true that Rudd and moreso Gillard suffered from intense hatred during their terms in office, but not as quickly as Abbott. I can't determine whether the dislike of the current government relates more to Abbott personally or the government as a whole.
The thing is what makes up 'The Left' is a collective of various causes, and Abbott & Co have rubbed all of them up the wrong way. workers rights, social democracy, gay rights, Aboriginal rights, asylum seeker support, womens rights, environmentalists, secularists/humanists/atheists, Australian republicans, civil libertarians, those who work in healthcare and education (usually), peace activists etc. Abbott and/or his ministry either during the past years in opposition or since coming to power have said things to piss people off in each of the above causes. Most on the left align themselves with combinations of the above causes, multiplying the anger. Giving credit where it's due, Howard didn't do that, I don't recall such anger levelled at Howard. Abbott has simply gone in way too hard too fast. It's like the Whitlam years, but from the opposite direction.
