Comments on: Transition or challenge, either way, bye bye Nelson

By: JamesK

JamesK — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

John Goldbaum, I would hazard a guess that no political advisers to Turnbull are readers of Crikey…….but keep thinkin’ Butch…..

By: JamesK

JamesK — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Fortunately for Turnbull, you’re not one of his political advisers Evan

By: Venise Alstergren

Venise Alstergren — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Please,please, please…..Once and for all, as of now…. We have to slay the Costello illusion, if for no other reason, than to allow Malcolm Turnbull a clean shot at the coalition’s top job. Surely we all know that Brendan Nelson is a pathetic little man, lost in the wilderness of big time chicanery aka The Liberal Party. If Turnbull catches ‘Peter’s Syndrome’, we can all look forward to yet another saga of, ‘what if, should I have? Followed by another book about ‘how the Liberals screwed me’ author, Malcolm Turnbull. What oh what has Costello done to have people hanging on his every word? If he was such a political genius; how was it his Liberal Party were so blind as to fail to recognize this ‘evident genius’.? Why wasn’t he selected to be leader? Where were the decent bills he helped parliament to create, or pass? Where was he when Howard launched the obscene ‘Children Overboard’ scam? The ‘Tampa’ scam ? Why did he fail to make his revulsion of the wretched Pauline Hanson, quite clear? (assuming he did find her repulsive) What single piece of legislation was Costello responsible for, that made the world a better place for his having been in it? As for the idea which sprang from I know not where, that his electorate have benefited by his presence. Hell, I live in the place, I should know. Why hasn’t he been seen at the Malvern Vale Pup, having a drink with the electorate’s oldest inhabitant? Where was he when Ms Blitherer’s cat got caught up a tree? Ordinary grass roots caring. Why can’t all of you front up, fair and square, and admit that Peter Costello’s entire existence has been as useful as the proverbial *unt full of cold water. Until then he will hang around like a t*rd in the christening font. Always there to spoil the next guy’s aim at the top job.

By: Tom McLoughlin

Tom McLoughlin — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

So much for power. What I am wondering is if Costello ever thought it was necessary to challenge (and even lose) in order to promote an important policy agenda, not for power but Australia's best interests according to his own subjective views.

Better to have tried and failed, in which case the policy might be adopted by your rival later anyway?
Even Hanson runs that line, that Howard did her over by adopting her clothes.

But what seems so obvious to me in all this is, there is nothing in it for Costello running for leader now. At the top of govt the grovel of opposition would be too boring. While he remains in parliament he IS a live round for leader ....later. Nightwatchman Man has months if not a year of grovel at low polling ahead of him and Turnbull can wear that sackcloth too if he wants. Costello has snookered both of them - as long as he keeps his grip on Higgins (?).

I mean what does "I neither seek nor will I accept" even mean? That he 'won't challenge in the future'? If so resign from parliament. If not, then re-read above.

By: Kevin Charles Herbert

Kevin Charles Herbert — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Little JimmyK:

There you go again…thinking your one of the ‘big’ boys.

By: JamesK

JamesK — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Evan,
1. Turnbull needs to move only when he knows that he has the numbers in the Parliamentary Liberal Party. He might now but I doubt it. He is presently winning friends within the said Party in his present role

2. It is probably not in his (or any other leader aspirant) to move now but ideally some 6 to 12 months from the next election.

3. Rudd has to sell an ETS that makes sense for the electorate to swallow. Better the present Liberal leadership stance on ETS is fought by the present honest hardworking but 'dispensable' which can be differentiated from by a new leader with the best policy going in to next election. Julia Gillard may have an opportunity in Labor for a similar reason. You will have noted that Rudd's man Garnaut has moved to Nelson's previously stated position on the implementation of an ETS (ie relative to the rest of the world's response) in his latest interim report.

By: Claret

Claret — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Can we please move on from Costello - the Australian public were over him years ago. Why would the Libs have replaced Howard with a gutless smirker with a poor record as Treasurer - giving away the boom to middle class welfare and leaving the national infrastructure to rot. Since the election he is somehow being transformed into some kind of Liberal legend - mainly by Shanahan and the other Lib apologist journos - conveniently forgetting the voters hated him. Turnbull won’t do any better - just what the Libs need now - an arrogant, know-it-all, silvertail barrister to emphasise to the ‘battlers’ how out of touch they are. He smirks as well!

By: Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Common guys! If Cossie ran second in the 2006 cabinet relay around Parliament House we’d still be getting permutations and combinations of why he got the silver medal. “Someone greased the baton or a palm, they passed a kouchie not a duchy or Janette laced my Dunlops”. Bottom line the guy’s a poor loser in good trantrum-chucking form and we can either ignore him or offer a distraction. Is there any better time to induct him into the Parliamentary Hall of Fame with a Gold Mace for compelling performances? Pete’s the here, there, everywhere and nowhere MP who went from back to front bench, from Opposition to Government into and out of Cabinet and with a spectacular dive twist and half-pike landed back in Opposition with a pledge to do it all again, no strings!!!. Sure he’s pledged to stay put like those other remarkables from WA to the capital and further east - the seat-sniffing, bra-snapping, dirty-dancing and paedophilic colleagues who marked a patch as conspicuous players in parliamentary life. If Cossie wanted to be striking, saleable and highly commercial he’s now ’s top dog, leader of the pack and grand dragon. If Malcolm Turnbull wants one better we’re simply waiting for the conversion.

By: John Goldbaum

John Goldbaum — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Evan, JamesK made the same comment about me on a previous occasion. I suspect the only justification he relies upon is his role as an advisor to Brendan Nelson. He appears to be saying it for the benefit of Turnbull’s advisors, to warn them off.

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

I think it's a little unfair to solely link the rise of the Qld Conservatives with Peter Beattie's 'transition' to Anna Bligh.

I would suggest the so-called 'rise' in the non-Labor stocks in Qld have more to do with their own process of getting their own internal affairs into some order, rather than Beattie's decision to move on.

Despite some minor hiccups, Bligh's government has been solid, steady and consistent and largely devoid of the scandals of its interstate cousins.

By: Venise Alstergren

Venise Alstergren — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Malvern Vale pub:

By: Evan

Evan — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

JamesK

Fortunately for Turnbull, you’re not one of his political advisers Evan
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

Fortunate for me too. I can’t think of a worse job.

But what’s the justification for this comment?

By: Lucy

Lucy — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Could it be that Turnbull just wants to see Nelson absorb as many blows as possible, then come in as the party saviour just when Rudd’s popularity inevitably begins its structurally mandated descent? Turbull likes to be the hero, the Success Story. Emo Man is much better suited to the role of media/party room whipping boy.

By: Tom ...2

Tom ...2 — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Oh yeah, and there is another psychological scenario - Costello has been moulded for so long by Howard into the ‘the other half’ of a winning leadership model that he’s stuck in that mould for good. He won’t run because he can’t - but he can balance up Howard’s proxy in Nelson (propped up by Minchin, the other hard right Libs-Nats left) and sitting on the back bench providing critical mass of political capital to block a real change in Turnbull. If Costello’s id is now so deformed by the now exhausted partnership with Howard, that would be Howard’s profound legacy: A half leader rival left to compliment an Iraq war swaggering apologist replacement.

And yet another scenario is that both my scenarios above are correct but the writing of the book will be the catharsis to get him out of his rut?