Barnaby Joyce says all is well with the Nationals’ vote – but a deeper dive suggests trouble lies ahead

A closer look at Saturday’s election results shows Barnaby Joyce and the Nationals are likely to undergo the same philosophical angst as the Liberal party. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAP

As the Liberal party started its self-examination, Barnaby Joyce was busy putting lipstick on a pig, talking up the National party’s stellar result on the weekend.

He said that while it was disappointing the Coalition had lost the election, the Nationals held all of their seats, and got close to picking up Lingiari and Hunter. Clearly, it was the Liberals’ fault.