And here is the latest forecast for struggling Australian conservatives.

Six-month outlook: steady rain and sunny breaks.

Strong winds turning colder and southerly will continue to freshen through the electoral cycle, producing widespread rain areas across the south-east, showers in southern Queensland and soaking downpours in the Western Australian wheat belt. 

Sunny patches are also expected, particularly around the southern highlands and ACT where the possibility will slowly dawn that rain is about to save the beleaguered Howard Government. 

Climate change? No, it was just a drought. A drought that can be broken long before climate change is fixed. And doesn’t that make us all feel a little better? More optimistic? More comfortable in our skins? As the dams of Australia slowly fill, expect Cyclone Kevin to drift off across the Coral Sea, eventually fizzling into a warm, wet tropical low.

Just a thought.