There were three 'phone calls

last night. Two of them were a waste of time and money although I doubt the political strategists thought that.
We have been plagued by phone calls throughout the election period. They seem to have taken the place of door knocking.
We have never had a politician knock on our door here in the suburbs. Our current local representative knows us. He is likely to keep his position unless something goes horribly wrong. I assume the opposition has better things to do than visit us.
But we have had "automated polling" (just put the phone down) and "automated electioneering" (again, just put the phone down).
Last night I listened out of curiosity. What would the final pitch be?
The Opposition Leader came first. His message admitted it was automated in the first sentence. That would give anyone a chance to put the phone down. Good. He was polite. Good. He asked you to vote for the local candidate. Expected. He thanked you. Good. That was it. It was short and clear. He seems to have grown increasingly confident but his delivery style could still do with improvement.
The Prime Minister came next. There was no admission it was automated. That would be using words he wants to use to convince us to vote for his side. He was aggressive. Well yes, at the moment he does appear to be on the losing side. He asked (or perhaps told) you to vote for the local candidate. Expected. He told you how essential it was. Expected. He used more words than the Opposition Leader. Expected. His delivery style was "chatty". Expected.
The Opposition Leader uses less words. It makes him sound less fluent and less certain of himself. The present Prime Minister can use more words than Sir Humphrey Appleby - and say less. Both men could benefit from some coaching although I doubt the Prime Minister could change his style. He has tried to convince the electorate he has changed from the first time around and it looks as if he has not succeeded.
Tomorrow is E-day. I will endeavour to vote early. I suspect the queues will be long if large numbers of people decide to do their own thing and vote below the line for the Senate. I have my guide prepared. I printed off a blank form the Senior Cat. He was still struggling over the final numbers last night. We are ready.
Are the leaders ready?
The messages were a reflection of the personalities of the two contenders. The first was probably better strategy than the second, especially in the final stages of a campaign. Less is more. Use less words and get the message across?
No doubt they have been advised about getting the message across. "Fewer words and more action" would be a good motto for all politicians.