Comments on: Viewing the Liberals through a prism of party instability

By: Dave Liberts

Dave Liberts — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

John James ideas about what’s good for the Libs is about as useful to them as my heart-felt (as opposed to thought-through) ideas about what’s good for the ALP, or perhaps the left in general. As a Labor voter who enjoys seeing his side get up, I reckon the Libs ought to give John a guernsy.

By: Darren

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

Tony Abbott is hosting a public meeting tomorrow at the Balgowlah RSL - it will be fascinating watching all the loonies come out calling for billions to be spent on the spit bridge!

By: Cathy

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

@ John James. Now Alexander Downer has joined the bow and arrow brigade intent on picking off Costello. It’s time the rest of the conservatives realised this team doesn’t need someone bunkered in its dressing rooms knobbling players before they hit the field. Costello has established as a treacherous insider behind a smokescreen of Christian rhetoric and little else. When the holy speak went up in flames he started the brushfire around Bishop. I agree Costello has enormous ability to be devastating - he’s showing us right now.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25092099-601,00.html

By: Chris J

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

Perhaps this about the Liberals being at odds with their own policies. Turnbull’s leadership shapes up as the shiznit No Choices (all rights to the King and none to the subjects) clearly as galling to the Libs as it was to the nation. Costello brushes aside cobwebs this week to warn about the ‘hollowing out ’ effect of the Chinalco Rio deal whereby self-serving interests leave countries and companies spitless. If these two monumental egos can’t see the hypocrisy in their actions then perhaps their party should tap them both on the shoulder and show them the door.

By: David Sanderson

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

It is hard to see how a spill would help - it would only confirm the disarray of the party. For a spill to be effective Costello would have to have given a hint that he is interested in being leader. He hasn’t done that and instead he continues to profess an unnatural devotion to the people of Higgins. Everyone, of course knows that the plan is to wait for the Liberals to lose the next election and then take over at a time when the Liberals might, notionally at least, have some prospect of winning the following election.

It is a devious and ignoble strategy because it weakens the party but it is extremely difficult to resist. To resist it you have to acknowledge it and if you acknowledge it then you acknowledge that you are likely to lose the election, something that party leaders are not allowed to do. Because it is so devious and ignoble it does stain Costello and makes it yet more unlikely that he will ever be PM but that will not stop him pursuing it as he knows that whoever is Leader of the Opposition during this Parliament will have virtually no chance of ever becoming PM.

By: Bernard Keane

Bernard Keane — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Shows what me and my sources know: Mitch Fifield gets the gig.

http://malcolmturnbull.com.au/Pages/Article.aspx?ID=98013

By: John James#2

John James#2 — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000

Amused as I am by some of the comments by the ‘usual suspects’ I thought I should comment further. Turnbull’s problms are of his own making. Sure, Costello is on the backbench but Malcolm is not the first leader to have distinguished ex frontbenchers sitting behind him. Keating, Beasley, Latham all spent time on the backbench. And while I agree about Costello being unlikely to lead the Coalition again Malcolm isnt helping his position with his management of all that is unfolding. Costello has enormous ability and when he enters the public debate he can be devastating. I thought his critique of Rudd’s essay and public comments on neo-liberalism were excellent. Costello encouraged Bishop to stay on. If he was trying to destabilise, he would do the opposite, surely?
Bernardi didn’t need to be sacked, just pulled into line, quietly. Now Hewson , a ‘spear-carrier’ for Turnbull has made ridculuos public comments attacking Costello. All that does is highlight Turnbull’s insecurity.
Turnbull has shot himself in the foot. He has done that before, when head of Australians for Constituional Change and the blood loss was terminal.

By: John James

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

What we are seeing with Turnbull here is what we saw when he led the Republic case. He cannot pull groups and disparate ideas together and weld them into a compelling narrative for public policy debate. He is talented, but not a leader. To have supported Julie Bishop when she was clearly not on top of her brief, to have sidelined Abbott, as he has done, to have deliberately tried to damage Costello’s credibility, these are not the actions of someone who can command respect and loyalty. Nor is Turnbull a ‘conviction’ politician.

By: andy

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

#GH4B

By: Kate

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

Fifield’s turned up as Turnbull’s lapdog. A lightweight, affectionate and submissive mutt from Costello, Kroger, Anderson & Baird out of Victoria. This is easier than a game of pub darts and time for Crikey to initiate a Party relationships tree so we can trace political lineage and check for inbreeding or nepotism. It’s more educational than the nags and trots and easier odds for a bet.