The massive Democrat gains in the US midterm elections has thrown a multitude of question marks into politics.
Since the so-called Blue tsunami swamped Donald Trump and his Republicans, analysts have been busy offering assessments of what it all means.
One question is how the Democrats will wield their new power, and what policy agenda might emerge that takes them to something other than they are not Mr Trump.
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The other is how Mr Trump will react. And that is impossible to predict. The President has made a career out of being unpredictable.
And Mr Trump retains significant powers over foreign policy as commander-in-chief. That raises the question of how he will approach the unresolved war with Iran.
The conflict played a central role in the result.
Firstly, it was counter to Mr Trump’s boasting about having no new wars.
And secondly, the conflict was blamed for driving up the cost of fuel — “gas” for Americans — as well as other goods.
It is the second point that reflects the truth of politics — that the cost of living is a central factor in determining how people vote.
The midterms, like every other election, reflected economic conditions and the impact that has on households.
It was a modern take on the lessons of that famous phrase “it’s the economy stupid”.
What the US result means for Australia can be viewed from two standpoints.
Firstly, what it means for how the Government deals with the US.
Until Mr Trump’s term is over, that really means how we deal with him. That has never been easy or manageable and it is not something likely to change now.
Mr Trump has not been afraid to take pot shots at his allies, including Australia, if he thinks they have not been sufficiently supportive. It seems inevitable that there will be more bumps in the road with Mr Trump in the White House.
But the US remains our most important ally and we will continue to rely on the US security blanket after Mr Trump has gone. So it remains the case that keeping a level head will be crucial.
Then there are the lessons we can draw for politics in this country.
Australians right now are battling the impact of inflation eroding their spending power and successive interest rate rises for which much blame falls on the Albanese Government’s excessive spending. Those with a home loan are having to find extra cash to make their repayments, and yet are watching on as the value of their home plummets.
Much blame for falling home values has been attached to the Government changing negative gearing and capital gains tax policies — which it had denied it would do. That broken promise was a massive breach of trust which set up a framework against which the Albanese Government is now judged.
And at the moment that judgment is savage. Just like the Americans who sent a message to Mr Trump, Australians are not happy with how the country is being managed. And that is a big warning sign for the Government.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will need to take note of the warning signs and react before it is too late.
