The Coalition is straining to stay together, as the Nationals — lead symbolically by Barnaby Joyce — try to forge their own identity separate to the Libs. But the Coalition would be better off staying together to fight Rudd, writes Michelle Grattan.
Liberal Party 
Antony Green: Can the Greens make a dent in Higgins?
On paper, the Federal seat of Higgins might not look as safe for the Liberals as it once did — but don’t expect to see Clive Hamilton make much of an impact there for the Greens, says Antony Green. History and the polls are against him.
Rundle: Libs try to put on a humane, human face; fail
The Liberal Party has now cottoned on to the fact that Australians don’t like seeing asylum seekers brutsalised on their watch, and has tried to make it a campaigning point. But it’s like Martians trying to work out how the humans think, says Guy Rundle.
Not clean, not dirty … Turnbull masters inactivity
This Opposition is good at neither the high road nor the low road politics. The scandal over Malcolm Turnbull’s office proposing tactics for getting media attention just demonstrates this further.
Do the Coalition shuffle!
Whatever happened to the Coalition reshuffle? Remember that? But reshuffles create losers and Malcolm Turnbull, who is one major brain explosion away from losing the leadership, has enough enemies as things stand.
Throwing Australian liberalism a lifeline
Liberalism in Australia stagnated under the Howard government, becoming a defender of the status-quo with a stance indistinguishable from conservatism, says Andrew Carr. Embracing a modern liberal revival could help the Libs reach the ever-elusive Gen-Y demographic.
leaked
Turnbull digs dirt for headlines
The Oz has its hands on a leaked email from Malcolm Turnbull’s office, urging press secretaries to attack “fat cat public servants not caring about taxpayers, pollies with snouts in the trough, special interest groups getting undeserved handouts” to garner more attention in the press.
The real Battlelines: putting the small ‘l’ back in Liberals
Liberal Senator George Brandis has let fly at his party, saying that for John Howard, the Libs were more conservative than liberal. Glenn Milne reports on the battle of ideas plaguing the Liberal Party.
The story the Daily Tele didn’t want you to read
Two years ago, The Daily Telegraph published four stories about former Liberal candidate for the seat of Cook, Michael Towke, which he says defamed him and destroyed his political career. The Tele tried to buy his silence. They failed.
No happy endings for Coalition after Minchin’s stance on Telstra
Nick Minchin may succeed in delaying Stephen Conroy’s Telstra break-up Bill. But he is painting the Coalition into a corner on Telstra and it’s not going to end well.
Singing from Howard’s hymn book no help to Libs
Opposition parties that have been in government for a long time often take just as long to realise that they are no longer in government and to start behaving accordingly, writes Dr Aron Paul.
Dutton chows down some humble pie
Lib frontbencher Peter Dutton has returned, tail between his legs, to announce he will stand again for his Brisbane seat of Dickson, just weeks after missing out for preselection in a safer seat.
Possum: Coalition’s “economic legacy” in tatters
A new Essential Report has found the public have a favourable view of the Rudd government’s economic management, and they’re dismissing every single economic angle the Opposition has been raising as an attack for the past six months.
The CPRS: what the Liberals want
So Malcolm Turnbull has convinced the Coalition to push amendments on the Government’s CPRS. But what is it that the Liberals want?
The Coalition ride the conveyor belt to electoral slaughter
The idea of the Coalition losing 20 seats next year has now become part of the political furniture, says Bernard Keane. And unfortunately for them, next year is, historically, their best chance at getting back in power for some time.
graph pr0n
The grey vote
The ‘Depression Era’ vote is the most electorally significant demographic for the Coalition, says Possum Comitatus. Without it, Howard would have lost in 1998, lost in 2001 and it would have been line ball in 2004. But when they die off, where will the votes come from?
Poll: Libs up, but Turnbull gets a thumbs down
The latest Essential Report has the Liberal Party up two points with a two-party of 58-42, but an overwhelming majority think Turnbull hasn’t got the temperament or judgment to be a party leader.
Gerard Henderson backs Turnbull
Well, someone had to: Gerard Henderson supports Malcolm Turnbull as leader of the Liberal Party, claiming the media is making too big a deal of the whole leadership debate in the first place.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Stimulus and employment
Crikey readers weigh in on the economic stimulus package and jobs as an economic indicator. Plus, Bernard Keane’s alleged jealousy of Joe Hockey.
Hartcher: Malcolm Turnbull: dead man walking
The good ship Liberal Party is sinking with a corpse at its helm, says Peter Hartcher. Joe Hockey isn’t a particularly promising alternative, but he’s better than the political walking dead.
Looking back, this will not be the Liberals’ finest hour
A future historian will look back at the gung-ho neoliberal era of circa 1975-2006 and wonder about its wild excesses and its selective blindness; the present day Liberal Party will no doubt be part of that curious museum exhibit, writes Norman Abjorensen.
Kohler: Turnbull’s four steps to annihilation
Malcolm Turnbull’s ‘Four Point Plan To Pay Off Labor’s Debt’ was a tired, dismal effort that will sink without trace, because there’s hardly anything in it, and no-one cares anyway because they’re focused on whether he’ll survive to the weekend.
Sing the Coalition theme song: “Ring the final bell, Hel…”
In light of Malcolm Turnbull’s Liberal leadership mess, North Coast Voices have created a political ditty titled 22 Ways To Leave Your Leader. All together now “Lose another preselection seat, Pete…”






