"Sure Joh had some problems" Hassy, the criminal class generally do, and there's nothing surer than that bible bashing fool of a Premier Bjelke-Petersen was of the criminal class. Did you know Al Capone gave money to the poor. Just saying.

I think a dictator who is democratically elected automatically nullifies that title, particularly one who increased his majority.

Despite the years of unrelenting media criticism and lies, the black African gang frenzy, the "scandal" over whether he slipped on "stairs or was it steps" and the constant whining from Sky and other commentators the alternative was rejected by the voters.

Time would have been better spent supporting the opposition rather than systematically denigrating the government but then again, perhaps the mood of the electorate is changing and rejecting the notion of negativity for it's own sake.

Dear Graham you write:

“If Daniel Andrews thinks he can keep ruling Victoria the way he has, then he is not listening to the electors of Victoria, and he, or his successor will pay the price. He runs a government that is seen as authoritarian, spendthrift, incompetent, dishonest, but electors generally can’t see any alternative, viewing the Liberals as just as bad.”

Nope.

Here let me fix it for you.

“He runs a government that is seen as authoritarian, spendthrift, incompetent, dishonest, by the Murdoch press and Liberal Party sycophants, but electors generally can’t see any alternative, viewing the Liberals as far, far worse.”

The very slogan in your title “Dictator Dan” dished out with such gay abandon by the rightwing commentariat was no doubt a factor in the election. Victorians got heartily sick of its overuse and hyperbole. And them referring to our state as a laughing stock post the election is just more of the same.

We didn’t buy what they were selling and I am proud of my state for giving the middle finger to the whole bunch.

Andrew managed to out do the Dan-slide of the last election in terms of lower house seats. Sure his primary vote dropped but so did that of the Liberal Party.

You had predicted the Greens would do well, yet with all the apparent disenchantment of the majors they only improved their primary vote by 0.6%. And the Independents got towelled by the Nationals.

And no mention from you of the strong showing of the Socialist party or Family First?

A rusted on paid up active Lib member cousin in Melbourne, familiar with Frydenberg (same electorate), managed to admit that the latter mouthing off at Victorians from Sydney was a significant misstep; borderline authoritarian (that's all the Libs have left?) and counterproductive as many small 'l' Libs deserted ship (like his own constituents, what was he thinking?).

Another point was the glib remark that yes Sky News After Dark is deplorable, but was unable to reply when asked how do the Libs formulate policy vs. outsourcing to think tanks and industry, response was Orwellian.... so he didn't know.

The Liberal Party like the GOP and Tories are 'owned' &/or 'wedged' by their own think tanks and media, but will continue with 'clown car' politics while they do not do genuine and grounded policy development vs. media agitprop, stunts, scare campaigns etc.

It's not just being "owned" by think tanks and whatever that is the main problem with the Liberal Party.

It's their drift to the hard right and the rejection of their moderates that is bringing them undone and internally they are becoming more and more controlled by extremist nut jobs and religious zealots who have been steadily infiltrating them.

Federally that's what gave rise to the "Teals", who are Liberal Blue with a hint of green. They were disaffected traditional Liberal moderates who felt the remaining moderates within the party were not doing their job climate-wise and so replaced them.

Unless they do something the drift away will continue and the remainder will become "One Nation Lite". Some sound and constructive policies would also help but hoping to win by doing nothing but denigrating their opponents didn't work this time.

As for Joh's electoral success, it was highly dependent on favourable gerrymanders which faded over time as seat boundaries were redrawn.

Rache: Agree, Overton window going so far right many of the right are being pushed to the centre and meanwhile some 'think tanks' are difficult to categorise as right or left.

However, IMO Teals were also a symptom of older culture of the Liberal Party since Howard, which has become unfit for purpose and less representative, especially across nominally middle class &/or traditional LNP seats.

Things have changed due to ageing demographics in above median age as more educated and/or diverse baby boomers hit the electoral rolls; although most 'skip' legacy media is yet to receive the memo.....

On 'think tanks' such as IPA and CIS (also Taxpayers' Alliance) are all in the 'US radical right libertarian' Koch (or Atlas) Network (ditto Tufton St. etc. in London), but deemed by many in the US as 'eugenics masquerading as economic theory' to preserve the status quo.

There is even one linked to Koch in Budapest supported by the government of PM 'mini Putin' Orban, the Danubius Institute which welcomes Australian grifters, sorry 'players' anti-EU & tepid on NATO; embarrassingly for 'visitors' US conservative Anne Applebaum called it out after Putin's invasion of UKraine (3 April, Twitter).