Peter Costello announces he’s retiring from Parliament, Malcolm Turnbull implodes, and therefore Glenn Milne needs a new bandwagon. He’s found one. Tony Abbott for PM.
If the polls haven’t turned around by Christmas, etc.
This must be what John Hartigan means by high quality journalism. I’m sure readers are just lining up to pay to read Milne’s writing on the web. Pay for view Liberal leadership speculation. That’ll be a sustainable business model.
Elsewhere: John Quiggin.
Ha Ha Ha oh and wide yawn. It would make for interesting parliamentary sessions and make the Coalition even less electable. I say on balance, do it Libs.
I’d have thought that the recent three dinosaurs announced as being recently discovered in Australia would have been named Malcolm, Tony, and perhaps Joe.
Milne may have Springborg on his list, right after the crossings out over Joh Bjelkie.
‘People skills’ would of course be an electoral disaster, he is uber creepy electorally.
Annabel crab nailed him; Tony “People skills” Abbot.
No way is the Mad Monk ever going to make PM.
However his elevation to PM would no doubt assist the Mary McKillop for Saint push.
Maybe there is a “mysterious way” deal going down here.
Like a Milne stone?
Huggy
Indeed Rex, but to be fossil record “specific”, you’re referring to
TreasuryT-Moleosaurus, Velocirapture and Workplaceosaurus?Of course in the late unlamented Liberal party government, fossil records indicate the common ancestor is Wannabeeosaurus:
http://www.dinosaurden.co.uk/dino_Wannanosaurus.html
Who on earth is Tony Smith?
As noted every time this comes up, Abbott can’t win because of his views – and more importantly, his track record – on abortion.
It’s that simple.
The scare campaign writes itself, and has been neatly illustrated by Tony Sowersby.
What makes us think Abbott wouldn’t be superior (as in, actually better, not just a slight improvement) than Malcolm Bligh Turnbull?
Crazier things have happened. Of course it’d be a gamble based on the Monk’s priors, and the Libs shouldn’t have got themselves into this position in the first place—but I’m not going to dismiss the potential abilities of Monkey just because I disagree with him on social policy (say, has LP got around to a thoughtful blogpost about Rudd going to the Vatican? Drop us a line if you do).
What if Tony Abbott prayed to the Blessed Mary McKillop and as a result he became the Leader of the Opposition?
This would have to be acknowledged by the sternest Devil’s Advocate as a miracle.
And that’d make Kevin Rudd’s beatifying mission to the Vatican much easier.
A win/win situation!
Repeat after me Tony:
If a clot be washed away by the opinion poll, shadow cabinet is the more: any man’s political death enhances me, because I am involved in politics, and furthermore sent to know to whom Pell tells that now it polls for me.”
Sir HC,
That is very, very clever. I love it.
Tony Smith was a Parliamentery Secretary to the Prime Minister John Howard most famous for wasting public money. Flagpoles for schools was his genius contibution to inflation and 10 interest rate rises in a row as part of the Good economic management team.
Flagpoles will aways be higher under a coalition Government is his motto.
Tony’s got a book out. It’s not a bad rule of thumb: if a politician starts to get the itch to write – particularly a book – they’ve got leadership ambitions.
Don’t be surprised if we start seeing a gentler, kinder headkicker – photos with the family in the Sunday liftouts.
Stranger things have happened.
I am beginning to suspect that we have just witnessed a Machiavellian coup against Talcum. The right wing of the Liberals – the unreconstructed Howardistas – were never comfortable with the Merchant of Vainness. Under the silvertail exterior and the Double Bay accent, here was a republican pragmatist with worrying leftist tendencies. To Robb, Bishop, Minchin and Abbott, and importantly, their backers in the extractive industries such as Big Coal, Big Oil and Big Uranium, Mal was not on the level.
This would thus explain the massive leakage from some Libs to Malcolm’s detriment. It is inconceivable that he went for Kevin’s scalp unilaterally: he was encouraged and led to the line of fire while his enemies within the party supplied the ammo.
Yes, the Mad Monk is unpopular electorally. But then, so was John Howard. Now the Right have the ability to position Tony to be leader of the Opposition when Talcum fails at the next, early, election.
Morlock’s spearcarriers like Milne are just doing their job.
@8 – You shouldn’t assume that everyone on LP thinks alike on these matters (or on anything else, though obviously we do share some views in common). I myself don’t agree with Rob’s post on Rudd and the Pope.
Mark: would you care to elaborate your view on that matter?
Do you mean that you think I was making a mountain out of a molehill (which is quite possible) or do you think it’s appropriate for the Prime Minister to be making representations to the Vatican on the matter of the potential canonization of Mary Mackillop? If so, why?
To be honest, Rob, I prefer not to elaborate on that matter. Had I wanted to do so, I would have done it on your thread. I don’t doubt your bona fides or question the legitimacy of your point of view, but it’s not one with which I agree. However, I don’t want to argue the point, but it does irk me sometimes when the hivemind theme rears its head, so I mentioned it in that context.
Fair enough. Agree WRT hivemind!
Well, it is kinda fun to watch, and it seems likely to be a fairly long-running sitcom.
I wouldn’t pay much for it, but it’s entertaining to see an entire political party (and backers in the press) in search of a policy and a leader; puts me in mind of Scrapheap Challenge. OTOH I don’t think I would pay for Milne’s sweaty-handed coverage.
I think it was the Bolta on Insiders this morning who suggested that Turnbull had fallen out with the people, the press and his own party and was therefore finished.
John Salter does an interesting segment with Richard Fidler on politics on local radio here every Friday pm. Salter suggested that Labor had gone too far in killing Turnbull politically. Better just to wound him and keep him in his position. He reckoned Keating similarly made a mistake in killing off Downer, although I thought Downer had done that himself.
I am ashamed as an Australian,that an unsourced opinion and speculation in a Murdoch Newspaper can even disturb the Liberals,when actually the friendship with Rudd and that family disturbs me greatly.So is Tony Smith a play on words.. A tone of smiths,and just that!? There are other options,but, Bullshit in other words, as in tone of the Wordsmith!? And Tone of the Abbott…pray you Bastards! So when we combine the Smith-Abbott Tone tones,what do we wees get!? Or backwards if one prefers the ring tone! Tobbathims or Enot! Case of Rub a Dub Dub, three men in a Tub. A Butcher a Baker a Candlestick maker! Occupational Status time,when considering the suction of the drain pipe. The Butcher is Turnbull, the Baker is Smith and Abbott is the Candle stick maker.Yet there remains the age old problem when the average tub requires sitting positions, one sits on the plug.Plug!!Who will be the first to the plug! Occupational tools required! And here we are in N.S.W. counting crooks and squashing snails!?
Sir Henry,
that was very fine work. Several LP posters suggested weeks ago that Tone might be next leader. I think it’d be because he seems tough and agile in debate.
Not claiming to admire him; merely suggesting many Lib MPs probably do. Can a Catholic lead the Libs? Was the Pope Polish?
I know its Milne’s rubbish, but I can’t help getting excited about Tony Smith as Liberal deputy – all Costello’s weaknesses with none of his strengths, unless you count the remarkable similarity in their appearance. Way to destroy the Liberal Party just that little bit faster.
Ambigulous, surely the question is not whether a Catholic can lead the Liberal Party (these days, I don’t think there would be much of an issue), so much as whether Tony Abbott can a) lead the Liberal party, and b) has a realistic chance of leading the Liberal Party to an election victory.
It’s not that Tony Abbott’s a Catholic that’s the problem, it’s the way that he’s clearly keen to impose certain teachings on the rest of us that’s problematic.
I know he was on the other side of politics, but I don’t recall Keating’s Catholicism ever becoming a political issue.
Yep. Also, Brendan Nelson was at least brought up a catholic so I do not think that that barrier to the top job is still there. It is, as Robert says, Tone’s keeness to impose certain teachings “on the rest of us” that will scare both silvertail and punter alike.
In the event that the Liberals were looking for a nightwatchman he might fit the bill. Trouble is, they are already into the lower order batsmen.
Tony Abbot is incapable of debating women. Careers have been made by ALP women by being placed opposite him in their portfolio’s.
Keating’s Catholicism was in a way more traditional than Tony Abbott’s, much as Abbott would want to wrap himself metaphorically in Cardinal Pell’s Cope.
But I guess the point is the residual sectarianism in the Liberal ranks. I (fortunately) don’t know enough about the internal dynamics therein to say how much of an issue that might be.
Brian – yes, Downer made his leadership totally unsustainable with Keating not having to do much more than provide a comedic commentary. If anything, having his downfall ascribed to PJK probably made the latter a bit over confident when it came to his chances of destroying Howard.
But I can’t foresee any possible circumstance in which an Abbott led opposition would do better than a Turnbull led one. Surely, worse. If arrogance and over-reaching are going to destroy Oppo leaders, then Abbott would be in the same basket.
The Libs are toast.
Rudd and Gillard and Tanner will eat any of them for breakfast.
Limited News need to examine the premise on which all these “stories” are based.
Interesting hatchet job by Christian Kerr in the Weekend Oz on Chrissie Pyne – which has all the marks of an Abbott knife job. Tony’s obvs been doing the rounds of the press gallery usual suspects…
The postscript to the Salter meme, Brian, is that Turnbull started with a lot more cred than Downer.
He’s also articulated – apparently according to the News Limited scribes/aka the voice of Tony Abbott’s briefings – that he needs to tear Rudd’s popularity down via personal attacks.
That was Howard’s strategy too. Didn’t work.
Turnbull, on the other hand, presents a big target, and the Libs will do Rudd’s work in tearing him down – helped by their false friends in News Ltd.
They really should cast all those idiots loose. It would go better for them if they did.
You’ll enjoy today’s Glenn Milne column where he alleges that he and News Limited are being censored by Rudd and Gillard.
Linked text
Next Milne will be alleging human rights abuses when a Government minister fails to return his phone calls.
If that baby elephant at Taronga Zoo develops a hide like Milne and other feature writers at The Oz, it is set for a long and happy life.
good ‘business model’ line, mark
lol
Abbott for PM? Oh dear oh dear oh dear. Australians can be a prudish lot but even they wouldn’t go that far.
Paul Keating’s and Brendan Nelson’s Catholicism was never an issue because they weren’t hardline Catholics. I could see the cartoonists having a ball though. Harry Potter like Kevin Rudd and Herminie like Julia Gillard constantly outmanouring a witch finder like Snape/Abbott.
*outmanouvering obv. I need more coffee before I post
But wait! I was told by an ABC journalist (Sabra Lane?) this morning that Tony performed brilliantly in parliament two weeks ago when all around him were falling in a heap. Funny, I recall him endlessly raising inane points of order in a vain attempt to flow the slaughter, and making even less sense than usual.
But now that Tony’s superior parliamentary skills and leadership ability has been reported as fact by an impartial ABC journalist, I have to believe that People Skills is the man for the job.
That article is just such bunkum.
[Rudd],facing what appeared to be initially serious questions about his integrity, fought his way out of what looked like a tight corner with a disciplined ferocity acknowledged almost universally by commentators as an awesome display of tactical brilliance and temperament.
What part of “the accusations were entirely trumped-up and held no water” doesn’t Milne understand?
And then he repeats a litany of previous News Ltd. smears. Pathetic.
How amazing@33. To quote the Canberra Times…..
Mr Abbott also conceded he had a lot to learn before he could rise further up the party’s ranks. “I’ve made mistakes in parliament recently and that had made me realise I’ve got some work to do, some swatting up to do,” he said.
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/national/national/general/turnbull-safe-as-leader-abbott/1553411.aspx
Mr Humble and Supportive spruiked that line in all the adoring interviews he made. As far as I know, no brave soul cared to ask him what mistakes they were. It’s getting harder and harder for him to publicly confess these days. Maybe that’s why he is writing his own book.
Huggy @ 4
For the record, the ‘people skills’ tag came from Tony when he was a candidate for the leadership after the election. Crab just picked up on it, as is her job, and made it her own.
Given the standing orders being what they are, that is pretty much the job of the Manager of Opposition Business in QT. About the only other thing the opposition can do is to move motions of censure, something that was just not going to work from the Monday as the opposition had nothing worth saying (that would be picked up) once the email was declared a fake.
That may be so THW, but the ability to stand up and raise inane points of order that a ten year old could manage with more panache is hardly indicative of leadership material or anything approaching it.
Only a ‘journalist’ with another agenda or a serious deficit when it comes to analytical skills could manage to broadcast such tripe. I don’t know what criteria they use for employment in the ABC Canberra bureau, but the ability to analyse semi-complex information isn’t on the list.
Indeed, I’d suggest the employment criteria would go something like this:
- Ability to read, uncritically digest and disseminate material from News Limited publications highly regarded;
- Independent thought and ability to come to conclusions based on facts not required;
- Links to Liberal Party will be highly valued, as will be the ability to talk absolute bullshit while maintaining a straight face.
Note also the weird assumption in Milne’s column that Turnbull’s poll numbers dropped, and Rudd’s improved, because of the “commentary”.
99% of which those polled wouldn’t have read.
The hubris is incredible.
Tony Abbott sets me on edge whenever he appears in the media. I never feel that his hesitations suggest careful thought in an honest desire not to mislead. He seems to be playing for time, often trying to waste time. One can almost see him wondering how best to avoid a direct response, or perhaps how best to exploit the opportunity to attack an opponent. His hesitations and slowness to respond in interview are not mirrored by a slowness to interrupt another speaker presenting a good case. He is the first to steal their air time and to break up a discussion not going his way either with malice or with laughter.
Much as I loathe Hockey his bogus bonhomie is easer to take than Abbot’s evasive caginess.
Quiggin:
http://johnquiggin.com/index.php/archives/2009/07/06/fox-in-oz/
thewetmale@36
Yes he did refer to his people skills, but Annabel elevated it to a ironic descriptor (with attribution).
He is one creepy politician. People skills indeed.
Huggy