Comments on: The saga of filling Malcolm Turnbull’s front bench

By: Cathy

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

It’ll only be a matter of months before the media and Malcolm get a whiff of old business skeletons and the Liberals will be back into crisis mode. The ever reliable outsized ego is going nowhere. Can you imagine how p**sed off he must be after Malcolm’s annointment eclipsed his book launch? Up there at the Press Club his stomach must have been churning as journo’s faked interest, fidgetting to be elsewhere. As corks popped his colleagues were tuned into the TV coverage of Turnbull’s victory!!. The song and dance man boring everyone to bits because he can’t see himself as past or tainted. Which is why Turnbull’s still pencilling, cursing and rubbing out the handful of names he’s left to cope with. May be Turnbull should offer a truce to Costello - a ‘wanna be my Treasurer’ might get the ego off his back?

By: Phil of Sydney

Phil of Sydney — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Perhaps it is a little thin on talent, but it’s much more baggage free that way. I’m pretty sure that the public would prefer new-gen cleanskins than recycling Downer, Andrews, Abbott et al.

By: John Morgan

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

Bishop as Treasurer would be as bad as Bishop as Education and Training Minister. No experience in economics and no experience in the classroom.

By: David

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

Bernard your last para sums up Turnbulls situation perfectly. No knife at the ready, no continual harping on
leadership challenges from the likes of Sheridan, Shanahan, Bolt, Akerman, and of course ‘the gnome’, talking of whom, he must be devastated his idol and hero has cut ties to the leadership, or has he?
If Turnbull gives the shadow treasurers job to the Ice Maiden Bishop, the Government will have a ball with that. Too much baggage, too closer ties to the disgraced Howard and yep Work Choices, something she just cant get out of her system and hankers for the return of. Ah so litle talent, so much to do, so many wanabe’s….the Rudd Governments honymoon continues unabated.
It may be worth The Opposition Leaders time to do a spot of reading on the early career of former NZ PM, the late Rob (piggy) Muldoon. He was shadow finance Minister when Opposition leader and on becoming PM in the mid 70’s he immediately took finance and for 10 years pulled the purse strings of the NZ economy. Noone spent a cent without his say so. Great way to ensure where the dollars are going. Of course it all turned pear shape eventually but hell he had a ball for a decade.

By: shorn

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

Bernard Keane writes about the shadow treasurer gig:

The job calls for substance, for someone who will be respected by business and reassure voters the economy would be in sound hands in the event of a change of government.

If this is true how did Swan get the gig?

By: graham dunton

graham dunton — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Time is not of the essence, I hope brains and abillity are the criteria of choice, and not the state or electorate they are from. but that of course will be a major departure from both sides of Government if it happens.
But we can all live in Hope, what State is that in?

By: davo

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

The Liberal Party is in its worst position since 1942 - even McMahon still had a couple of decent ministers. Turnbull is probaby the future, but this is not a game of singles. Of the old guard, only Abbott had any principles (even if I vehemently disagreed with them, he at least tried for consistency). The rest - Hockey, Minchin (he who thought that Nelson was a good idea!), Bishop! BISHOP! The poor girl always looks like Virginia Trioli, or Fifi Box - something's happened, but she's not quite sure what.