Tony Abbott
The era of the political assassin is over, and thank God for that.
August 27
I always suspected that the instant [Turnbull] didn’t have the top job he’d want to go.
August 29
Malcolm Turnbull
Julia Gillard — whom I admire in many ways — Julia, even though she was living with her boyfriend without the benefit of the closure as it were, for political reasons said ‘I believe marriage should be between a man and a woman’. And my predecessor and opponent in the Liberal Party, Tony Abbott — who’s sort of a right-wing character, to say the least — he had the same view. And I was to say they were both wrong, but at least he was sincerely wrong.
September 21
When you stop being prime minister, that’s it. There is no way I’d be hanging around like embittered Kevin Rudd or Tony Abbott. Seriously, these people are like, sort of miserable, miserable ghosts.
September 28
Kevin Rudd
Dear Malcolm. A quick reality check on ‘miserable ghosts’: First, having told the world you’ve left politics behind, you seem to be in the media every day talking about it. Second, in case you didn’t notice, I left parliament for New York City five years ago. Why not come over for a cuppa?
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October 1
Paul Keating
[Malcolm Turnbull’s] capitulation to conservatives on the republic says all that needs to be said about Malcolm’s wider ambitions for the country. He attacks Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott as ghosts, yet if you needed to know what Malcolm Turnbull truly believes in, what he would die in a ditch over, you would need a microscope to help you find it.
October 2
If there’s a lesson from the current war of words between former prime ministers, it’s that the best way to ensure a serene life after politics is to get a job.
At 79, John Howard is too old for that, of course, but he does busy himself writing books. Howard generally stays above the interpersonal fray but is happy to comment on issues of public controversy and is always willing to march back into the culture wars. Bob Hawke offers the occasional comment but is also distancing himself in old age.
Paul Keating has become very vocal about policy issues dear to him — usually around the economy and particularly superannuation — after a period of relative silence in the years immediately after 1996, but has never been backward in offering free character assessments about politicians or ex-politicians for whom he has little time. This includes former PMs such as Tony Abbot and Malcolm Turnbull, or those on his own side, like former NSW Labor figure John Robertson.
Kevin Rudd devotes himself to being an international affairs dilettante, but can’t resist sniping at various targets, including Rupert Murdoch — whom he once ostentatiously cultivated — and Malcolm Turnbull.
Turnbull, a man of even greater personal means, hasn’t needed to work in decades, but has taken to the role of ex-prime ministerial sniper with relish in the brief time since the Liberal Party dispensed with his services.
And Tony Abbott — well, he’s built up a very generous parliamentary super, but can’t think of anything to do but stay in politics on the backbench, where he’s happy to make pointed comments about his successors.
Then there’s Julia Gillard. Gillard has a couple of jobs — chair of both the Global Partnership for Education and Beyond Blue, as well as some visiting professorships here and overseas. Gillard is almost completely silent about contemporary politics, and has had very little to say about her former colleagues since she left politics in 2013. Her one political act in retirement was to appear at Labor’s 2016 campaign launch. Even former opponents now single her out as as example of how to be an ex-prime minister. Perhaps because she’s too busy being things other than an ex-politician.
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At least Abbot is not drawing the windfall ex local members cash yet. He’s likely saved us quite a few bob. Any replacement is almost certainly going to be as useless as he is.
At least Keating uses wit & continues to provide erudite commentary & value in return for his parliamentary pension.
Rudd chooses to take pot shots at Murdoch therefore he’s performing a public service.
Did Turnbull (quoted above) say of Gillard ‘without benefit of closure’ or ‘without benefit of clergy’? I thought I heard the latter. It makes more sense.
The usual job opening comes from the various lobbyists parent organisation, in return for favours granted while in office.
That seems to be falling out of fashion. I guess because the Peasants are waking up to it and because if an increasing clamor for an anti corruption body.
Still our ScoMo would be OK he could pick up a job on TV advertising stuff like White Goods, Carpets, Vitamins, Used Cars, or anything that requires talking fast and looking sincere,while talking codswallop.
Ouch! Shrieks of helpless laughter. LOLROTF. How right you are.
Malcolm Turnbull will go down in Australian history as a prime minister grade five. On a par with William McMahon. And not quite as awfull as Tony Abbott. It is so nice to know of his fabulous apartment in New York while thousands of Australians reel at his lamentable performance.
I’d employ Julia Gillard; maybe Kevin Rudd. Whereas I’d nominate Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull to be next in line to front up to the Guillotine.
All well and good, but who’d employ ’em?
Talk about “The Ghost Who Talks” – the Phantom, of The Threepenny Opera?
I can’t get over Turnbull’s petulance – he could “carry grudges” for Australia.
He was the one who couldn’t wait for an election to wipe out Abbott and The Deadwood, to take over the leadership as some sort of “Messiah” – because he didn’t want to “waste time” as Opposition Leader?
He’s DDT – “Double Dissolution Turnbull”. The one who called a double dissolution election : where all a half-baked senator needed was half the usual quota to pull up a bloody stool.
Is that what being “the brightest person in the room” comes down too?
But the most breathtaking :- the silver-tailed twat slagging off other “miserable ghosts”?
What’s left of that “Malcolm Turnbull” that came to politics to such an air of expectation from so many, with such “refreshing standards and principles” that had so many rubes expecting so much “fresh air” from a “non-politician” : who then proceeded to sell out his principles one by one to stay Leader, to “show them who’s top dog” who had taken him on in public and embarrassed him there.
The one that cut and ran on this pretext he’s using : when to hang around would have been a constant, daily reminder of his failure?
How much is the Wentworth by-election going to cost – when he could have stayed around for another couple of months, loitering on the back-bench, to not run again?
Tony could easily get a job with the lycra twins in America. All hopelessly addicted to coal, but so endearing in their bike shorts. Coal – One lump or Two?