Zero rating for Turnbull

I do not believe it is wishful thinking to suggest the Turnbull government has no hope of anything more than a single term, if indeed, it survives that far. Any relief, however, needs to be tempered by the realisation that

Bill Shorten would probably be next. So many had such high hopes for Malcolm Turnbull as PM, after the dark days of Tony Abbott, but in the end, Turnbull has sadly turned out to be just another politician. He has attained his seemingly paramount ambition of becoming PM, but what he will be judged on is what he actually achieved for the nation while there. So far it amounts to zilch.

Paul Bongiorno draws stark attention to the extent to which Turnbull has abandoned his convictions about human-induced climate change, and the urgent need for an effective response. Many of the issues that confront us are, in fact, climate related. Climate records are broken, agriculture is imperilled, the Great Barrier Reef is dying, our emission reduction undertakings are worthless and the energy sector has all but collapsed. His intransigence on these drastic problems now comes across as being on a par with his benighted predecessor. He will get nowhere with these issues until he gets off his knees and treats the far right with the contempt they deserve. Yes, there are risks, but pleading that he had no choice but to accede to their demands will leave his reputation in tatters. Standing up for what he believes, on the other hand, will, if nothing else, assure him of the respect that should be his.

– David Payne, Bermagui, NSW