Horror show
TWO words: train wreck. Other words you, dear reader, might like include chaos, madness, own-goal and raffish rabble ... although “deranged circus” is my current personal favourite.
The only thing the Liberals spectacularly achieved last week was to do the Opposition’s normal work. That, and write their own manifesto for 10 years in the political wilderness.
Bill Shorten’s crew hardly needs to turn up for the rest of this parliamentary term. Relax, take some leave even — a bit of Queensland sun maybe. Someone else is doing their bidding and filling their appointed role far, far more effectively than they at the moment.
This is being written to meet my usual Friday midday deadline, so the outcome of the Liberals’ infamous high noon showdown was not known, but the outcome is now largely irrelevant.
The Government is wounded and now highly temporary in nature.
Why add to the hectares of newsprint already devoted with fervent ardour to Canberra’s latest diabolical upheavals? Good question. On the other hand, this has been described as the most significant political crisis since the 1975 dismissal so it’s almost irresponsible not to comment, so here goes.
Canberra’s famous bubble has out-bubbled itself, as out of touch with everyday Australia as it has ever been.
The Liberals’ rump of conservatives have excelled at believing their own publicity, and that of the aligned shock jock media. Yet such things develop a life of their own, a relentless momentum builds and ‘group think’ of historic scale takes over.
This particular coup further cements Australia’s dubious international reputation for our propensity to regularly knife sitting Prime Ministers.
The seeds of Malcolm Turnbull’s demise could well be sheeted home to when he did the same thing to Tony Abbott. I have always felt Turnbull’s biggest mistake was not to call an election very soon after he became PM.
He enjoyed such huge personal popularity, there’s a strong possibility the Coalition would have been re-elected with a very workable majority.
Subsequently, some of his signature, centrist policies — his priorities and values — on which much of his popular support was based, would have had a far easier passage and, indeed, been achieved.
Turnbull’s mandate to lead would have been clear and unassailed.
Delaying the double dissolution election until a year later delivered a Parliament with everything he didn’t want, in both houses. Yet, despite being consistently the public’s preferred PM, many of his colleagues have cut him adrift.
Malcolm was often criticised for acting like he was the most intelligent person in the room. Now, maybe humility was not one of his strong points, but in reality many times he was just that — the most intelligent.
Hard to envisage how the Liberal Party can survive in anything like its current configuration. While often selfdescribed as a ‘broad church’, any sense of inherent ecumenism lies now in tatters.
Their conservative ‘congregation’ is seriously kidding themselves if they think their hard right view could be ever be sustainably successful in the broader, contemporary Australian community. Whoever is that last person standing on Friday is effectively elected as Opposition Leader-inwaiting and can start writing their election night concession speech now. In my view, the Coalition faces a landslide of seismic proportions, meaning that a large chunk of those who voted Turnbull out will likewise be so in the not-toodistant future. Maybe in the cold light of day, some of those Libs who were so intent on self-destruction might wake up and think “Just what have we done?” Perhaps even more pertinent questions are “Just what have we done to the country?” and “What example have we just set?” Of all the things this shambolic episode has become — born from raw revenge and unbridled ambition — staying in power is not on the list. Oh, for national leaders who are not captive to hubris. Who are competent and compassionate but whose ego is only just sufficient to confidently lead without being ideologues. In a perverse, if coincidental, cherry on the top of a conservative cake, tonight’s Q&A is stacked with Queensland’s finest right-wingers, headlining Pauline and Bob. Save us! I’m going to the movies — The Breaker Upperers sounds good!