Tide turning for Turnbull, Howard says
Former PM tells Liberal party council there’s a clear mood change among people
The former prime minister John Howard says he senses “a clear mood change in the community”, with people turning back towards the Turnbull government, but pulling off a victory over Labour at the coming by-elections would be “something approaching a political earthquake”.
Continuing the theme of unity that has flowed through Liberal party leadership speeches at its 60th national council — which also voted on Saturday to privatise the ABC — Howard acknowledged that the road had been rocky for the Turnbull government.
“I think Malcolm Turnbull will win the next election, I think things are going better now than they have been for the last six months,” he said.
“There’s no point in pretending we haven’t had a few ups and downs, and haven’t been behind in the polls.”
But he believed the tide was turning and was buoyed by Labour’s comparatively low primary vote. He said that when the government changed hands in 1996, 2007 and 2013, the opposition parties had been polling in the mid-40s in the year or so before the elections.
“The Labour primary vote has been stuck below 40 per cent for a very long time,” Howard said.
“That is a salutary reminder, although there may be irritation and disappointment with us, there is no enthusiasm for the replacement.”
In a news conference following his speech, Howard warmed to his theme of Turnbull’s improved political fortunes, but would not be drawn further on whether the prime minister was receiving the same level of support and unity as he did previously.
“All political parties have balance and those sorts of things. I think the government’s position is strengthening. It won’t be easy, but there has been a clear mood change in the community,” he said.
He put that down to Bill Shorten’s “very left wing agenda”.
“I studied politics for a long time and the sort of left wing populism he is embracing now is a throwback and I don’t think the public likes the class warfare,” he said.