Malcolm Turnbull’s rather hamfisted attempt to bring Barnaby Joyce inside the tent through the offer of a frontbench position was always going to be rebuffed. Turnbull might have tried – just an idea – a little more consultation than implied by last minute shadow cabinet meetings which apparently fail to set the direction for the backbench anyway. As Mungo McCallum remarks on today’s Crikey, the Nats’ complaint that Turnbull doesn’t listen to their concerns is based on a false premise – he doesn’t listen to anyone’s.
While the Coalition has something of a respite from disasters such as last week’s through the rising of parliament for the year, and shadow ministers can get on with their favourite game of either scoring irrelevant and silly points or alienating constituents, let no one imagine that the sorts of hydra headed monsters which cruelled their unity last week won’t be resurfacing in 2009.
Let’s consider which party Barnaby Joyce actually belongs to. Both his parliamentary and personal home pages list his affiliation as the Nationals, but back here in the state he represents, the LNP claims him as part of their “federal team”. It’ll be election year in Queensland in 2009. If Labor wins, everyone expects the LNP to decompose into its constituent parts, and maybe a few others. That’s going to raise the stakes for federal coalition disunity – particularly in the Senate. Alternatively, if the LNP wins, then Barnaby has to really decide what the federal Nats’ future is. A lot of cracks have only been very lightly papered over and the implications of the Queensland election federally are going to prove intriguing whichever way it plays out. Either way, the cross-cutting pressures on the always erratic Joyce will be increasing. Malcolm Turnbull should get rested up over Christmas.
I think Joyce is heavily angling to go “permanently elected independent” like Bob Katter and Tony Windsor. That way, you get to be permanently indignant without having the embarrassing party machine letting you down. I’d guess Joyce has enough personal supporters to carry it off.
Barnaby: I tell you what, he’s even better at “feeding the chooks” {Press} than Joh ever was; mark my words, my very word oh yes he certainly is, never a shadow of a doubt; used notes in a brown paper bag, you say? Oh, but Mr Whitlam is …..
He’s a maverick!
Never mind what it says on the paperwork, Barnaby Joyce belongs to the Barnaby Joyce Party. If the punters want agrarian socialism, Barnaby will deliver agrarian socialism, bugger whatever coalition policy is.
And all those Aussies accused of being compulsive gamblers, drunks, and junkies just love him. As they spend their economic stimulus package. If he doesn’t watch out he’ll turn into a bigger prat than Pyne or Abbott.
Still, I suppose Kev could offer him an ALP membership and step down. Barnaby for PM!
From the article linked above under the word “constituent”:
Some unintended irony from Ironbar there.
I know he’s regarded as a maverick, but what has he actually voted against?
Good old Barnaby was against the voluntary student union moves. The local students here at UNE spray painted a bridge with a huge “Barneby” (sic) bit of graffiti which cracked me up every time I saw it. That’ll give you an idea of his fan base.
“hamfisted attempts”. Indeed! If you aren’t offering ‘pork’ or a derivative, then you have no chance with a Nat or its recent manifestation as LNP.
Barnaby did promise that he wouldn’t seek re-election. Lol! Turnbull simply gave Barnaby a golden opportunity to advance his reputation while at the same time afforded Barnaby the opportunity to crap on Mal from a great height.
Is Mal for real?
The lower house seat of Maranoa beckons Barnaby. He was equivocal about it when quizzed today and the media tack was all about Nats leadership. The incumbent Nat, someone by the name of Scott, was suitably indignant. My bet is that Barnaby wants it on a plate and as the leadership prize. Only once there will BJ worry about what it all means for the LNP.