A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the boffins at Liberal party headquarters created a meme that would save the Australian people and restore freedom to the galaxy.
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, dressed as a Jedi on “May the fourth”.
The economy is strong with this one. #StarWarsDay #MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/xhR8znXVJe
— Liberal Party (@LiberalAus) May 3, 2019
The Evil Galactic Empire of social media offered a ruthless response.
Many invoked Star Wars quotes to poke fun at the suggestion Morrison could bring balance to the force, in the same way his government brought balance to the federal budget.
— 💧MJ (@kickinghoops) May 4, 2019
#iLikeBillShorten #Auspol pic.twitter.com/xdfKwyOUVL
— 💧SamL (@RussSamantha) May 3, 2019
Others poked fun at the latest attempt by Morrison and his campaign team to defy the “daggy dad” image.
— Lauren (@lozf85) May 3, 2019
You were supposed to win the election, not lose it https://t.co/8j0o7jKkZc
— Naaman Zhou (@naamanzhou) May 4, 2019
The social media ribbing didn’t seem to deter Liberal HQ. A few hours later, the team responsible for crafting the government’s subtle political messaging posted another Star Wars meme, this time casting Labor as the dark side.
Last time they were in government, Labor delivered 6 record deficits totalling $240 billion.
— Liberal Party (@LiberalAus) May 3, 2019
Australia can’t afford to go back to Labor. #StarWarsDay #MayThe4thBeWithYou pic.twitter.com/vLDUVH8rdF
The Star Wars Day posts came hot on the heels of another memorable moment, which seemed to confirm suspicions the election campaign is mired in a bizarre distant galaxy, where the winner is the party whose candidates are the last to be formally disendorsed.
On Friday night, Morrison was labelled a “space invader” by the opposition leader, Bill Shorten, for getting a little too close during a televised debate.
