The tell-it-like-it-is politician is a cute idea that’s good for a few runs through the media cycle, but it’s no substitute for actually leading or coming up with some policies, writes Christopher Scanlon.
Liberal leadership
Tony — you ain’t gonna win talking to Alan Jones
Tony Abbott’s initial media strategy has been confined to AM radio and the ABC’s current affairs shows. He needs to take a leaf from Kevin Rudd’s book and go mainstream.
Abbott makes a mediocre debut in the polls
Essential Research has released the first public poll on Tony Abbott as Liberal leader, the Mad Monk scoring a 34% approval and 36% disapproval rating — the worst debut by any federal Opposition leader ever, reports Possum Comitatus.
Abbott vs. Rudd: game on
Malcolm Turnbull may have been a less divisive Liberal leader, but he was a pussycat compared Tony Abbott, says Norman Abjorenson. Abbott is the most ideological leaeder the party has ever had, and he’s ready for war.
Guy Rundle: Rundle: on Minchin, the green movement and Marxism
Understand this clearly – more people now believe the Red-Green hypothesis, that capitalism is a system testing us to destruction in its current form, than go with the idea that it is some empty charade of communism by other means.
Catherine Deveny: Abbott’s my favourite lame, gay, churchy loser
Catherine Deveny loves Tony Abbott and she’s not ashamed to admit it. He’s the comedians’ gift that keeps on giving, especially with that whole budgie smuggling, Catholic, climate change sceptic, hemp yoghurt business.
Schubert: Get your fingers clicking for the horror of the Abbott family
Yep, it’s definitely a freak show, with Tony Abbott starring as Gomez of the Addams family, Julie Bishop as Morticia and a host of other Howard ministers and ideas (Work choices!) brought back from the dead, says Misha Schubert.
Abbott’s Battlelines are drawn through the middle of the Libs
The split in Australian politics isn’t just Right vs. Left, it’s progressives vs. conservatives and the Liberal Party is split right down the middle. Poor Malcolm Turnbull just got sucked into the vortex.
That don’t impress me much: why some ladies don’t like Tony
It’s not just Tony Abbott’s smarmy persona or his apparent anti-women policy stances that explain why some women don’t like Big Tony. It’s that he represents one hell of a backward political step, writes Kate Barnsley.
Crabb: Abbott’s new front-bench: frightening but fascinating
Tony Abbott promised to give the Government “the fright of its life” with his front-bench reshuffle today, says Annabel Crabb. It’s sure to get moderates’ pulses racing, at least.
Guy Rundle: Rundle: Abbott has a deep and original desire to fail nobly
If you want to understand where the “Liberal” Party is heading, forget Burke or Oakeshott — read de Maistre’s The Executioner.
Crikey Says: The party puppeteers pulling all the strings
A fascinating feature of last week’s political killing season — a Premier and a federal Opposition Leader gunned down over three blood-spilling days — was the role of the Tripodi, Obeid and Minchin as sneaky puppeteers.
Baaaad news: all the liberal Liberals are sheep
Why don’t the conservatives get the hell out of the Liberal Party and go start a Conservative Party, rather than messing it up for small l liberals? Why are the liberals so gutless? asks lifelong Lib Robert Dean.
Grattan: Sour grapes Malcolm trash talks his new leader
It’s nearly an election year and recently deposed Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull is on the warpath against Tony Abbott over climate change. Can Turnbull convince other members to cross the floor and vote for the ETS? asks Michelle Grattan.
Who’s sitting on Abbott’s new front bench?
Tony Abbott is set to announce his new shadow cabinet today, with conservatives Bronwyn Bishop, Sophie Mirabella and Barnaby Joyce in, and moderates like Sharman Stone out. Who else made the cut?
Libs finally on the right path to salvation
The Liberals dodged a bullet with the ETS, because they would have been stuck criticising a policy they helped create, writes The Oz. There is broad discontent amongst the electorate about the ETS and the Libs need to start milking that.
Guy Rundle: The Oz has been sipping Abbott’s kool-aid
The Australian’s commentators were out in force this morning to announce the return of the Abbott through the city gates — shouting heahs and hosannas, with Dennis Shanahan back in his happy place.
By-elections: it’s all swings and roundabouts
From Saturday’s by-election results, it appears that much of the damage from the Liberal Party’s switch on climate change looks likely to be concentrated where it can’t do them much harm.
Stott Despoja: Spilling on last week’s spills
Joe Hockey was drafted to run as Liberal leader before he was ready. Just because you can win it, doesn’t mean you should run, writes Natasha Stott Despoja, reflecting back on her own Democrats experience.
Turnbull: Abbott’s climate plan is bullsh*t and he knows it
In a spot of eloquent white-anting from the back bench, Malcolm Turnbull takes to his blog to slag off Tony Abbott and his climate change policy plans. The Opposition leader has lost his integrity and the Liberals can’t be trusted, says Turnbull.
Possum: No bounce for Abbott
Tony Abbott’s polling in today’s Newspoll is the worst debut result of any Opposition leader that has taken control of the party mid-term, says Possum Comitatus: it’s pretty safe to declare “no Newspoll bounce”.
Crabb: Can the jock beat the nerd?
It’s a classic school yard politics up in Canberra at the moment, writes Annabel Crabb, with head jock Tony Abbott now Opposition leader and wanting the geek’s job of school captain.
Milne: Suffer in your jocks, Catherine Deveny: Chadstone loves Abbott
Green-voting social commentators like The Age’s Catherine Deveny may mock Tony Abbott and the Melbourne suburban heartland of Chadstone, but they both proved her wrong in the weekend’s by-elections, says Glenn Milne.
Crikey Blogs / Monday, 7 December 2009
Help the Pure Poison team keep track of all the commentariats’ predictions about Tony Abbott success as leader of the Liberal Party for future reference and potential “told you so”s.