Turnbull braces for leadership challenge
Simon Benson, Geoff Chambers, The Australian
Malcolm Turnbull has lost the confidence of half of his Liberal Party cabinet colleagues as the Prime Minister’s backers admit they are bracing for a leadership challenge from Home Affairs Minister and leading Queensland conservative Peter Dutton.
As the leadership crisis engulfs the government, sources close to the Prime Minister were yesterday briefing that they were expecting a leadership challenge as early as today. Liberal MPs last night claimed that Mr Turnbull had begun calling colleagues to shore up support.
Mr Dutton’s camp believed that it could get to the required 43 votes to roll Mr Turnbull…
Peter Dutton may be ineligible to sit in Parliament. His lawyers say clearly no. Other lawyers say “Maybe”.
Anne Twomey, The Conversation
Section 44(v) says that any person who “has any direct or indirect pecuniary interest in any agreement with the Public Service of the Commonwealth” is disqualified from sitting as a member of parliament.
Dutton, as recorded in the parliamentary register of interests, is the beneficiary of a discretionary family trust. This trust, through its trustee, apparently owns two childcare centres in Queensland. The allegation is that since July 2, 2018, the trust, through its childcare centres, has agreements with the public service to provide childcare services in exchange for childcare subsidies.
The Liberal Party meet again today. The path is not obvious. Legal technicalities have run like a virus through parliament lately.
Would you like 90 seats with that?
The hate media portray the man who won by the largest electoral margin in 20 years as a loser.
All of this will make many voters wonder why the Liberals wouldn’t, instead, go back to Tony Abbott. Like Kevin Rudd before him, he would be reclaiming the job that was cruelly ripped away from him. While he has never been popular, he is a known quantity and the public would understand the natural justice in his return. Voters gave him a landslide victory in 2013 and he is revered by friend and foe alike as an effective campaigner. Abbott would also bring enormous experience to the job.
To my mind, it has always made most sense that if Turnbull imploded or resigned, the party would return to Abbott. No other contenders have imposed themselves on the party or the public. Yet even Abbott now scoffs at the suggestion.
Abbott says, rightly, it should be about policies not politicians
Pat Griffiths, The Australian:
“It’s not about personalities. It’s not about him, it’s not about me,” Mr Abbott told reporters in Canberra on Monday.
Ending subsidies for renewable energy, stopping price gouging by energy retailers and locking in new baseload power were next on his list.
Among other missteps, the government should withdraw from the Paris agreement on climate change.
“The only way we can win the next election is to have a contest over policy not personalities,” Mr Abbott said.
Dutton hasn’t shown he can take on the Global Bullies yet in the national arena.
Few are true leaders, speaking out unapologetically as a skeptic.
Australia will be very well served with either Abbott or Dutton. Get Turnbull out. Just go Malcolm. Go.
There is sufficient time to rebuild the LNP before the next election.
Do it and Shorten is mince-meat.
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The Liberal Party will be utterly doomed if they stick with Turnbull. I haven’t heard anyone in my area say a good word about him. And yes, there is time to rebuild and bring forth policies that Australians understand and need. Even if they lose the next election, it won’t be as devastating as having Turnbull campaigning on behalf of Labor.
To be honest, I really think Turnbull wants the Liberal Party to be doomed and it’s been his plan from the outset. Otherwise, how could any politician be so blind, pathetic and miss every advantage thrown at him by the opposition and world trends?
160
It would not surprise me if it transpires that His Lordship has been conspiring with Shorten & his mates to white ant the Coalition from the start of his knifing Abbott. Labor & unions know he is weak & asocialist at heart. It’ll all come out in the wash.
101
There is one absolute indicator that Turnbull has to go, both Their ABC and the Age are solidly behind Turnbull and publishing article after article supporting him.
251
There goes the neighbourhood…now what?
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-21/politics-live-malcolm-turnbull-in-partyroom-meeting/10146280
“Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull narrowly sees off leadership challenge from Peter Dutton
Malcolm Turnbull has emerged victorious after calling a Liberal leadership spill 48-35, beating Peter Dutton, who has resigned from the ministry.”
20
I don’t think this is the end of it. If it is, kiss the Liberal Party goodbye.
30
Yes,”Malcolm the Magnificent”was NEVER any good before he Knifed Abbott.Unfortunately,we will still be stuck with the other 54″Jelly Backs”who assisted in the knifing.What are we going to do about them?
120
The front bench will need reshuffling and then the rank and file MPs will do what they are told.
20
If Dutton is successful we can only hope he operates on the F.I.F.O principle & sticks to it.
( FIFO is not the usual first in first out system. It’s the Fit in Or F$&@ Off system)
81
I had an arrogant little twit of a boss that trotted that one out on the first day of his arrival, then wondered why nobody stuck their head above the parapet to offer objective advice and input. Just comply with dear leader and let him own his own stuff ups.
20
If Dutton gets up then the Paris agreement will be either axed or ignored.
Northern development has paused under Turnbull. Five billion dollars is in the fund and has not been utilised.
60
New coal fired power stations need to be started so that we can run a continental bullet train network and build satellite cities.
Damien Drum (Nats) is really a green and should be sent to a reeducation camp, along with other backsliders like McCormack.
‘Mr Turnbull will today address the Coalition party room to try again to win over Mr Abbott’s so-called “coalsheviks” and back his energy policy.’ ABC
70
If I was into predictions, I would say that a power station would be built south west of Abbot Point in Qld. The location would be near the interconnector and a large water supply.
It would be financed by coal miners in exchange for lower taxes. The coal that feeds this generator will be supplied for free in exchange for royalties.
Prediction or policy?
20
Thankfully, many of those are now gone, losing their seats.
20
M.T.Rumball may well have obtained 48 votes in the party room but what are the numbers when the Nats are included?
00
Gonna get red thumbed for this but Abbott won his landslide on account of the utter ineptitude of KRudd-Dillard-KRudd against which the proverbial drover’s dog would have looked like a campaigning genius. Abbott did an excellent job in that regard…and then achieved very little as PM. M.T. Rumball is a spoiled bourgois brat who is an appalling campaigner but going back to Abbott will be a gift to BS Billy. Dutton seems the only option.
611
Although…….
what about Cleaver Green?
Damn!! He’s in the Senate
Sorry for getting your hopes up.
10
It has been done before, a senator becoming leader. It would be OK provided he nominated for the lower house at the next election.
00
Please read the history timeline and see what you think after that;
http://stopturnbull.com/relentless-undermining-2009-2015/
50
Abbott remains one of the few politicians brave enough to pointedly and specifically take on the renewable carpetbaggers. His Axe The Tax plan with a blood oath was exactly the right one at the time.
You call it luck but 99.9% of politicians didn’t have the spine.
That he couldn’t demolish all the institutions/ committees/ green blob funding single handedly disappointed you. Shucks
121
Well red thumbs, I was right. You may well like TA but he is not leadership material in these circumstances. He had his moment and blew it. Do you want revenge for TA or do you want to keep BS and the Greenards out of government? Get real.
01
Rarely has anyone spoken as clearly about what the LNP needs to do than Abbott. His incisive logic cuts through like a scalpel to the problem. Remove the subsidies. All of them.
According to even Peta Credlin last night, it’s a very complex problem and she has to study it. She is confused. Turnbull says the electricity vendors are gouging.
It isn’t complex.
Consider again the case of Hepburn Wind, a windmill built in a great cause, saving the planet. A caring Green community doing their thing with State government support and thus our money and certificates cash they paid off the windmill quickly 10 years early. Now earning $700,000 a year at record high prices they still cannot break even on a windmill but we given them another $800,000 every year for ‘Large Carbon Dioxide Certificates’. The government calls this a ‘subsidy’. I think anyone else would label it a windfall, a gift.
Then we also give every worker in Portland, Victoria a secret $80,000 a year to make aluminium. South Australian taxpayers give Port Pirie around $350,000,000 a year to keep the lead smelter going. We give Enron cash to run an unprofitable gas power plant at Pelican point. We now pay factories not to work in mid summer or on very cold days. Giant batteries. $12Billion to pump water uphill. $11 million a month in little Tasmania to pay for rented diesels. You would guess as much in South Australia for diesels to replace polluting CO2 coal power. Diesel CO2 is much cleaner.
Now Turnbull will fine companies $100Million for failure to close smelters fast enough, an impossibility.
All to reduce CO2.
Our politicians cannot see the problem? It’s complex. No, it isn’t.
Only Abbott is calling time on ‘subsidies’ which are doing nothing to lower CO2 and one even bothers to check that it’s working. However it’s all about saving the planet. Isn’t it?
Don’t get me started on Free solar panels, free Pink Batts, free batteries. The real poor of Australia are being gouged and Turnbull blames everyone but himself. And is CO2 being lowered in Australia with all this cash? No.
362
Again the misleading language.
“Emissions Intensity Scheme” can be translated as “Carbon Dioxide taxation scheme”.
So is Carbon Dioxide actually reduced. No. Carbon Dioxide levels are set by ocean temperature. Not governments.
241
Contact Peta Credlin, maybe?
Or maybe you did?
20
Of course, if governments weren’t in the pay of Big Silly we would dismantle and smash all wind and solar renewables, ban the use of diesel for mainstream power and mandate coal. We would also mandate the modernisation of all ends of the coal industry. If socialists like the idea of government paying, the government can pay. If neo-liberal cultists insist on an Invisible Hand job, the Hand can do it.
Just so it gets done.
111
A very big problem that will probably cost US,will be if we stop all subsidies for wind and solar,what will happen to the Unions who have almost all their Super funds tied up in”Wind and Solar?”And I think there are a lot of private companies who have also.
121
Weigh it up, superannuation earnings down or we pay for ever increasing power bills.
171
“all their Super Funds” I really doubt that, its a big market
30
Super is a 4 trillion market, haven’t you figured out yet why the government is just itching to get their sticky hands on it?
30
Engie owns Pelican Point.
Enron no longer exists:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enron
30
I would be very concerned at the possibility of a sharply focused political intervention campaign, funded and organized by American oligarchs, similar to that waged against Canada’s oil sands industry for more than a decade.
http://fairquestions.typepad.com/rethink_campaigns/2018/01/the-tar-sands-campaign-against-the-overseas-export-of-crude-oil-from-western-canada-activism-or-econ.html
Many millions of American dollars and marketing expertise, deployed through “charitable” and “non-profit” channels, are already claimed to have removed a Canadian Prime Minister and dozens of MPs.
“From the very beginning, the campaign strategy was to land-lock the tar sands so their crude could not reach the international market where it could fetch a high price per barrel. This meant national and grassroots organizing to block all proposed pipelines. This strategy is successful to this day. All the proposed pipelines in Canada have effectively been blocked…(it) also played a role in helping to unseat the Conservative Party in Alberta and nationally.” https://corpethics.org/the-tar-sands-campaign/
These are very deep pockets funding a very long game. Be afraid..be very afraid.
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It’s also had the amusing result that the Pacific NW of the US is a Russian oil customer. The refineries need feedstock, and the Russians have it by the boatload. (Portuguese flag, so everyone feels better.)
Even sillier are the more-than-rumored US purchases of Russian gas to make up shortfalls in the US product sent to Europe so the Europeans don’t buy more Russian gas.
I’ll stop now. I’m giddy, like a Trudeau dancing at a Bombay wedding.
140
Also when Gillard or Turnbull or Keating challenged, the challenge was initially seen off, defeated but it was close. They all came again and then succeeded. A sense of inevitability sets in so fence sitters change sides the second time.
As I said to Tony Abbott, repeal the RET and Hazelwood would open. This is it in a nutshell, an evil Act, even an illegal one which was designed to wipe out fossil fuel power generation in Australia by making it unaffordable and directing the river of money to wind and solar opportunists. All that has happened is that it is working. In essence it is remarkably simple but buried like the NEG in endless verbage.
Unfortunately I suspect that very few parliamentarians actually read what they are signing. That’s their excuse too. These are lawyers who swore that they were not potentially dual citizens on a form with criminal liabilities, a form which could not have been clearer. Their only excuse is that they do not read anything.
210
I also asked this at the end of the last story. As a non-Australian I would appreciate some comment as to how much his troubles are due to energy and/or ‘climate-related’ issues or how much is this just the last straw for an already unpopular PM? It’s not easy to tell how the politics work from the other side of the globe.
70
Michael,
This is about Money, Not Politics.
Politics is only the means by which the money is redirected and “sequestered” by the master manipulators behind this.
The just cause enabling the whole thing is the need to “take action” on Climate Change which is induced by man made CO2; a diabolical cover story.
Reading some of the early comments above it becomes apparent that significant damage has been done to the operational and industrial base of two states, Victoria and South Australia and that further, the appearance of functionality has been maintained by using huge quantities of public money to temporarily prop up these states by using temporary diesel and gas fired power generators.
The evil behind this development is seen in the fact that electricity generation is now being achieved using the two fuels that cause more “damage” to the environment than the supposed devil, Coal.
Gas generation is expensive and therefore a short term plug.
Diesel generation is highly polluting and also therefore temporary.
Public money cannot be used in this manner indefinitely and eventually one half of Australia is going to rebel and demand a restoration of rational thinking and behaviour.
444 T
181
Tony Abbott is on record as saying climate change science is ‘crap’.
Malcolm Turnbull believes in global warming caused by dirty coal, exactly the same as the Opposition leader, so the next election will be fought over energy prices, climate and immigration.
Dutton could pick up the baton and run to victory, but does he have the bottle to counter all those scientists who say the world is coming to an end. We need sceptical scientists to talk with him, just to get his story right from the get go.
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Tony is not a scientist, but he does listen attentively. I explained that when Carbon dating was discovered in 1956, there was no fossil fuel CO2 in the air even after two world wars. That’s half way through the twentieth century. He did not know that.
The total lack of man made CO2 is enough to refute man made Global Warming. He understood that.
62
The essential argument of man made Global Warming is that 33% of CO2 is man made. Everyone implies this. It is not true.
71
Michael, Malcolm Turncoat is exactly that, read this history it may be written with bias but still based on what Turncoat actually did!
00
michael hart asked:
There are a few issues that are causing angst and little is being done about them. Power prices are now a key issue. The reason is quite clear when you look at prices:
http://www.abc.net.au/cm/lb/6346834/data/electricity-chart-2-data.png
The population is gradually becoming aware that intermittent generation on the grid is the prime driver of higher prices. It is reasonably well known that the mandated transfer payments for intermittent generation primarily flow from the financially disadvantage to those who have better control of their finances including owners of rooftop solar, wind farm operators and their financiers.
Another major issue is historically high immigration. Most of the new comers end up in Sydney and Melbourne. That has placed a huge burden on transport infrastructure and makes peak hour travel a misery.
House prices are not the hot issue they were but it is still difficult for a working couple under 30 to accrue a down payment on a house. Changes to limit Chinese buying residential houses in Australia have taken heat out of the market. Plus there is a total commission into the banks that Turnbull begrudgingly agreed to that has turned up poor lending practices and that has made getting loads more difficult. Take away easy finance for investors and the house prices are bound to fall.
Turnball has been quite clear that he supports the Climate Change Religion. The LNP now sees this as the driver of high power prices and there are enough people hurting from high power costs that is is giving the non believers in the party the gumption to question the economy killing policies. Even people with rooftop solar realise they need a job and high power prices are destroying productive jobs.
30
In a country with a crafted “Real Estate” bubble the cusp of the popping , anybody insensitive enough to add to the general economic stress levels by further increasing the cost of living will be about as popular as a flatulent cosmonaut.
“Let them eat cake” indeed.
Hurry up & retire to the Caymans Mal! [ & take your bloody hat, moleskins & leather jacket – nobody believes it, not even your “friends” on Insiders/Drum/Q & A]
90
The Black Hand discovers dirt when they find a target.
Maybe they should consider the salary of the PM that he says he donates to charity. I read recently that he donates via a family trust with related tax concessions or avoidance potentially, whatever, if Dutton has a problem so does Turnbull.
It looks to me like a feeble attempt at smearing the political opponent.
70
seeker of truth said…
As a backbencher (humble never), Turnbull states that it was his right to tell home truths about Abbott’s farcical climate change policy.
Now that Abbott is a backbencher. Turnbull thinks that Abbott has no right to criticise Turnbull’s own farcical climate change policy. Christopher Pyne is on the media today being Turbull’s yappy messenger telling those who want to listen that Abbott is a trouble maker.
What makes Turnbull so special that he is the only one to have such a right to criticise a dog of a policy? We do know the answer and that is Turnbull can never be wrong; his policy is perfect and should not be questioned. Turnbull’s ego could not accept that he gets things wrong. I wonder how he feels that he has had to work on a NEG mark 2 and it now appears that there will be a NEG mark 3. It is not just Abbott that has caused the NEG to be re-worked. It was a croc and voters will continue to see it as a croc so long as it has them paying more for electricity when they can ill afford to and big business is making huge profits out of their misery.
Reply Monday, 20 August 2018 at 10:07 AM
Philip said in reply to seeker of truth…
Is this info true, if yes Turnbull has much to answer for.
Personal Accummulation Funds.
These were set up by Howard as a way of promoting the wealthy to donate more to charities but the Tax Office regards them as a minimisation system.
All that the ATO requires is that each Fund donate $11,000 per annum or 5% of the Fund (whichever is greater) to recognised charities. The rest is used in any way the Fund decides – such as paying the owner Director’s Fees or “other uses”.
It’s effectively a way of paying around 8% tax on income by laundering income through these funds.
When Turnbull said he donates “every cent” of his PM salary to charity, he actually donates it (tax free) to The Turnbull Foundation – a charity and a Personal Accumulation Fund. Only Public Funds have to open their books.
As a result he not only pays no tax on his PM salary, he gets to claim 100% of it as a deduction against other income – a double-dipping rort if there ever was one.
Meanwhile most of his investments are kept in the Caymans where they also evade Australian taxes.
Thanks
Reply Monday, 20 August 2018 at 11:48 AM
Michael Smith News website comments
110
It would appear identity politics has become the modus operandi in this county, considering some of the identities on offer give me policy any day!
60
Here is my latest letter to my Federal Member, Andrew Wallace.
I even got up earlier than usual to pen it.
Good morning Andrew,
Well, mate, it’s crunch time.
Cast your mind back to 2009 when you were probably an ordinary
citizen, just like me.
Our fearless leader was taking us down the labour path.
He was over-ruled by the majority of the party and Tony Abbott
was installed as the leader.
Tony was absolutely hated by the media and all the labour and greens.
He never got good press, anywhere.
Then, what happened at the 2013 election proved all of them wrong.
A landslide victory, the BEST ever. This is for someone who was
vilified by the press for everything he did.
And then, the white-anting started. Julie Bishop, Christopher Pyne and also the one who thought he had been bligh-ted. No, not up front…but no help either.
And then the coup.
What Mal has NEVER realised about his popularity in the early polls….It wasn’t the Liberal Party supporters that were polling for him…It was the labour and the greens supporters….They would NEVER, EVER, vote for a Liberal Party candidate. They absolutely FEARED Tony Abbott…and his popularity with real thinking Australians….
What was Mal’s rule of thumb? 30 news poll losses? How many has “our fearful leader” had now? Thirty eight is it? See, even the labour people don’t like him now…so why should we?
And then the 2015 election…what a farcical campaign by your leader, Mal, that was. Was it 19 of his most ardent supporters failed to make the cut?
The decision now, is yours.
Remember what I have said each time here.
Follow Mal, and I hope you will enjoy your last stint in federal parliament.
And, please, don’t even contemplate the UN Party Girl. She is definitely not for the Australian People.
If you want to survive, please consider all of your choices and back the person
that wants what is best for ALL Australians. Lower electricity prices that we used to have when the states chased business to set up or transfer to their state. No more immigration; we are WAY past what we can economically support. Those that have entered should integrate or leave. And you and I both know those who REFUSE to integrate. We need to got rid of our part in the very false Paris “Agreement”. We also need to get away from the UN…but I can’t see that happening.
As always, I’ll be posting this on a popular blog. Have you found it yet?
The AEMO page has been very interesting lately. Don’t forget to have a look at the WA wind page…also very interesting.
Maybe even facebook this time.
Anyway, you have fun to-day, voting for your person of choice. I just hope it is my choice, also.
Cheers for now,
110
“THE CASE FOR ASSISTED DYING”
““Postponing Paris” is not good enough and the true Libs must not accept it as a commitment. Despite the rest of the world walking away from Paris, Turnbull will never accept that it is a UN/IPCC hoax.
He believes Paris still lives awaiting an epiphany from Philistine Liberals. He believes that the world must eventually be governed from Belgium by unelected “intellectual” bureaucrats we lowly plebeians could never appreciate the value of.
But Turnbull has always had a problem with reality. The reality now is that he is finished as an Australian politician. Just as Rudd is, yet he too believes he has a higher calling to participate in administering a one world government. Australians are just trailer trash who can be amused with selfies and pompous euphemisms.”
And more.
http://pickeringpost.com/story/the-case-for-assisted-dying/8479
90
Here’s a clue …
Emera pulls plug on tidal energy project after Open Hydro sinks
“Initially, the companies planned to install two turbines capable of meeting the annual energy needs of about 1,000 homes, which would have been used to gauge the viability of the technology.”
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/emera-pulls-plug-on-tidal-energy-project-after-open-hydro-sinks-gw7glqrlz
A WORLDWIDE rebound in coal trading is disrupting efforts to mitigate global warming and prevent climate change.
Energy analysts expect coal consumption in Southeast Asia and India to grow, as demand for the cheapest fuel is driving rapid economic expansion and offering big profits to investors in the electricity sector.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30352490
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Which all goes to show that man-made global warming is a hoax and carbon dioxide is not the problem.
132
As above, it is only man made CO2 which we control and there is none in the air. So the CO2 increase is perfectly natural and nothing to do with coal or cars or aircraft or even seven billion people breathing out. It is controlled by sea surface temperature, as always. Rather than CO2 controlling air temperature, ocean temperature controls CO2.
This should be obvious enough given the steady 1 degree rise in ocean surface temperature in the last century, the steady rise in CO2 levels and the lack of a rise in air temperature for the last 20 years.
91
I remain amazed at the number of rational scientists on both sides of the argument who accept without any proof that the increase in CO2 since the start of the industrial revolution is man made. Even arguments against man made Global Warming start with this concession and this without any evidence at all. Correlation is not causation.
What is the point of windmills if the CO2 increase is not man made. Consider the arguments against the use of coal and oil and gas. The whole Climate Change industry collapses without a man made CO2 increase.
81
The RBA expects that with higher prices and volumes of coal the Aus gov can get the budget into surplus. An improvement would be nice and coal revenues are all that kept Qld afloat last year/
40
I don’t think Dutton is the guy to oppose the UN and pull out of Paris. Maybe he should be given the opportunity but I’m not convinced.
I think the job should go back to Abbott – see if you gut cabinet of all the leftards, and you castrate all of the left wing of the party (Bishop, Pyne, Morrison et al) then maybe Abbott can do of the things he needs to. I think he was definitely hamstrung by that effete leftist former AG Brandis, white anting Turnbull, Brutus Bishop, Pyne and the list goes on. If they’re all gone or properly controlled, who knows what a cohesive, conservative cabinet can do.
110
Yes, most decisions are cabinet decisions including prime minister but if uncooperative ministers oppose prime minister’s proposals even if they were election policies the prime minister is blamed.
70
Then the PM can sack the closet lefties in cabinet and replace them with ministers who have the welfare of Australia not the UN or EU at heart.
140
Abbott says it should be about policies not politicians. Actually it’s both because you can’t have one without the other. Yes the leader of the LNP has to promote the right policies that will take the party to a winning position at the next election against the ALP+Greens who are dead set at sending industries broke and consumers dead by raising power prices via extraordinarily high renewable targets in an attempt to solve a non-existent problem; man-made catastrophic global warming. Hence the policies to be mandated by the LNP leader must include the abolition of all renewable targets, official and unofficial, the smashing of the renewables subsidies and the withdrawal from the Paris Agreement. Anything less is just being a hypocrite and a con man, just like Shorten. Such a leader of the LNP also has to have integrity and credibility to sell these policies well before the election is held to allow the public to digest them. Of course that rules out Turnbull even if he suddenly turned around and did adopt all these policies; no one would believe him. That’s where the character of the politician comes into the equation – it’s not just about the policies. The obvious and only choice is Abbott. Give him a second chance just as Howard was given a second chance, and look how well he lead the party. It is very likely Abbott could do the same and propel the LNP to the forefront of politics and keep them in government for the next two elections. It’s no guarantee but keeping Turnbull on will means the LNP will very likley be out of office for the next two elections. So the choice the party has is very simple and clear – re-appoint Abbott as the leader of the LNP and get on with the task to prevent Shorten becoming our next PM. It’s actually so simple and powerful with the right policies it would end up destroying Shorten.
80
I also suspect Shorten knows all that and is the reason he would love to see Turnbull keep the job, and would eb dead set afraid to see Abbott appointed as the leader of the LNP. All those who are now arguing the transaction cost of getting rid of Turnbull is too high are fools, and will pay dearly either way.
90
It is emerging news that Peter Dutton, a good man that he is and capable, has problems;
1) The Black Hand leaked possibility of a S44 breach referral to the High Court which could handicap a leader until settled.
2) He has a very slim margin (1.6% from memory) in his electorate and is already under attack from GetUp and Labor.
On the other hand Tony Abbott obviously has the experience and a sound track record if we take into account that he was handicapped by Black Hand cabinet members including Malcolm Turnbull while he was Prime Minister for just two years, September 2013 to September 2015. His electorate seat is secure and the dirt file has been emptied without a result, apart from image distortion in the mind of voters who are gullible.
With the right messages and policy announcements voters would welcome him back, Liberals would rejoice and return to the Party.
80
Almost everyone I’ve spoken to has said they would return to the supporting the LNP if Abbott was made the leader of the LNP. It’s actually a golden opportunity for the party to smash Shorten so hard he will have to be replaced himself but hopefully not before but after the election. As for the barrage of insults from the MSM – bring it on. It won’t work this time and in fact will backfire as I suspect people have woken up to the fake news media thanks to Trump.
50
I think that Abbott’s recent statement that “he was looking forward to being part of a Dutton government” shows that he will back Dutton.
20
Or as we have observed today, Abbott and Dutton are playing with The Chairman.
Dutton stood up and Abbott did not, but next time early September when the 40th Newspoll is published …..
40
I really hope they install Abbott as PM today. That will set things up nicely for a good outcome at the next election. 🙂
60
Yes, a loss for Shorten and his departure, kicking and screaming, to political oblivion.
50
Turnbull has declared the leadership vacant.
50
He wants to bring it on now, when he thinks he has the numbers. After all, he is expert at this, undermining people and he is the strongest he can be on the first day. The second challenge is usually the one which works.
50
It also stops Abbott from becoming the new leader, unfortunately.
10
Interesting.
00
Turnbull has been re-appointed. There should be a challenge from Dutton and Abbott when they come back after the fortnight break. If that fails the ginger group should threaten to resign unless Turnbull is replaced for the sake of the party. If they still don’t get the message he should resign and force an election. I rather have Shorten in government now than TUrnbull for another year then Shorten. We will have one year less of BS so we can get rid of Turnbull in opposition and the new leader of the LNP will have a better chance of winning the next election after Shorten.
30
It sort of good news that Dutton failed. It gives Abbott a chance next time if there’s enough push by the public by sending messages to their representatives in parliament. Dutton now has to resign from cabinet. It is also weakens Turnbull’s position now the margin is just a piddling 7 votes. He is gone in the end.
60
https://agree-to-disagree.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/yin-yang-6.png
I would like to warn people to stay away from my latest 2 posts. You are NOT allowed to read them. They are:
1) Closed Mind
https://agree-to-disagree.com/closed-mind
2) AndThenTheresPhizzics
https://agree-to-disagree.com/andthentheresphizzics/
01
predictable strategy to call a spill but 48-35 does not look good
10
and how many voted for Turnbull just in case Dutton either loses his seat next elevetion or is booted out earlier for pecuniary interests
30
There was nothing “honourable” about calling a spill, it sidelined doubtful ministers. Ministers are obliged to vote for the leader, if they intend to do otherwise they must resign their ministry first. None had the time or cojones to do so apparently.
30
why did you write “honourable”? who were you quoting? Also, which ministers would have voted against him if they didn’t have a ministry to lose?
00
Not so. According to 2GB Dutton was asked by Turnbull to stay but DUtton refused and resigned from the cabinet. DUtton did the right thing. Turnbull is just being the dirty sneak he is to try and keep Dutton at bay.
50
Correct. Turnbull is terminal and the events today have only made it worse for him. I suspect he didn’t expect so many would vote against him.
40
I think the public is sick and tired of the revolving door of leadership.
The media has an insatiable desire for any sensational story and incessantly talks up any leadership challenge, stoking any flame wherever possible.
I worry this may be handing socialist Shorten any easy win at the next election.
12
Each to their own.
Personally I think the public is sick and tired of the revolving mouth of Turnbull.
80
Are you suggesting that Turnbull could turn things around and win the next election? Yes it’s possible but he has to do two things. Apologise to Abbott and give him a ministry position in cabinet. Admit he was wrong about the renewables nonsense and climate change garbage, scrap the RET scheme and subsidies, etc.
40
If Turnbull doesn’t do all that he is finished in the next challenge or two.
40
Dutton has resigned from the frontbench, its on.
40
Turnbull offered him to keep his position in cabinet. Glad to see Dutton refused the offer.
30
Case of keep your friends closer and your enemies closer.
20
Yes, I think Turnbull could still win if the party got behind him.
He is trying compromise.
I am no great fan of Turnbull, Abbott or Dutton.
None of them have any great convictions and are mainly concerned about personal power.
06
Ya dreamin.
50
Abbott and Dutton don’t seem to have high public support.
People still remember him doing things like reinstating the knight and dame system to the Order of Australia and knighting Prince Philip.
He has an active interest in indigenous affairs and promised to prioritise indigenous affairs.
He trained a Roman Catholic seminarian.
He makes me nervous as a leader.
09
As I said it’s possible as long as he does those two points I’ve outlined @ #19. Otherwise, you are dreaming.
10
Actually Jeff, Turnbull could still win if the VOTERS got behind him.
The party has been behind him for a long time and he has completely wasted that support. How many Newspolls is it now? Or don’t they matter once you pass 30?
70
or its all just wishful thinking and Turnbull will continue to stumble the LNP over the cliff
50
“Malcolm Turnbull wins partyroom ballot against Peter Dutton 48 – 35”
As expected. Turnbull struck preemptively while he was still ahead. He attacked Abbott twice. The second time he succeeded.
This is a false dawn and Turnbull knows it. It says a very large number, not ten but 35 people are prepared to vote him out of the job this morning and you have to presume his ministers are loyal at this stage.
So the gap only 7 people.
Then an end to the RET and the NEG is still born. The Liberals will get very anxious as the Victorian election approaches in November and Turnbull will clearly cost them government, especially with the Catholic church telling people from the pulpit to vote Labor.
Shorten had fun ridiculing him yesterday. He wanted to know if there was a later copy of the proposed NEG available yet, an Act which ordinary Liberal party members have not been given.
Remember 15 September 2015 SMH
“Mr Turnbull .. promised to run a more consultative style of government and said the Australian prime minister should be the “first amongst equals” and not treated like a President.
“The culture of our government is going to be one that is thoroughly consultative … a thoroughly traditional consultative cabinet government that ensures we make decisions in a collaborative manner,”
That was before he published his latest NEG ideas on Facebook first, before he told his ministers or party.
He is a dead man walking. No credibility, no authority, no idea. So many Captain’s picks and his ship has sunk.
Come September, we will have a new Prime Minister.
60
Then Turnbull will resign and throw the country into chaos with another byelection which could bring down the government. It is his last threat before he goes into comfortable retirement, a legend in his own lunchtime.
50
Unless he can have Dutton declared ineligible first. Who has been hiding that allegation?
50
It was genuinely dug-up, there was some cross checking and then it was published. So not really hidden at all.
00
It’s all in the timing. Too much of a coincidence the day before a contest.
60
Consider, would you put your career on the line for a new Prime Minister who has a real chance of being found inelegible and facing a byelection? This was dirt to discredit Dutton and it worked.
50
Dutton has owned those centres for ages, Credlin knew about them when she was in the PMs office. Dutton would recuse himself if the topic was discussed. Something/nothing.
40
Yes but after the precedent of Bob Day in the high court, this was raised yesterday. As a minister, Turnbull and friends did not and would not raise it against Dutton. As a challenger who threatened their jobs, Dutton is toast. This was not Shorten.
40
Never mind. The war for coal will be a long one. The alternative is to de-industrialise along good globalist lines, off-shore minerals for cash to stop the domestic use of those minerals…really smart stuff like that. We’ll soon think nothing but such smart thoughts in our smart spaces in our smart cities.
Imagine a Christiana Figueres high-heel stamping on a human face forever…
Off topic but curious: here on the midcoast of NSW we’ve just had our coldest daily minimum temp (in a record with dailies going back to 1965). We have no record of a colder temp here – evah! This means…absolutely nothing.
60
The sooner the “Paris Scam” gets the boot the better (for the world).
30
It’s pretty much given the boot already, except here in Australia. We have the ALP+Greens married to it and now the LNP are being dragged kicking and screaming away from it but not yet divorced.
40
From the Guardian live feed. Looks like the Libs are all over the shop, panicking, and dont know where they are with anything.
20
Unlike your average politician, Abbott is a conscience driven person. He means what he says and says what he means. Even on a social equity scale, the RET is ripping into the poorest people in our society who are funding solar panels for the rich. Even Labor know this is wrong.
Besides, to keep in Paris means a continuation of the same Labor policies and the coalition is again history at the next election having no point of difference at all under Malcolm. Malcolm is a dedicated socialist and Green. He takes the Liberal vote for granted. He is wrong.
Unless the Liberals have very different policies to Labor, they are trailing 45 to 55 and will lose in a landslide within 8 months. Dutton knows that. Queensland and Victoria know that and Victoria has an election in November, one Daniel Andrews will win at present. Something more than this broad church rubbish has to be done.
60
Abbott’s points of difference are the hot topics, electricity prices and supply, excessive immigration and illegal boats. He is on a winner with all three and would win in a landslide, again. The Delcons will have their day.
As in the US, the Deplorables are sick of University and media elite lecturing them on what is right and what is good for them. The same in Europe where the EU revolt against the elites and socialists has started in Hungary and Italy and the UK and will spread like wildfire.
60
The difference with Malcolm is that he doesn’t mind losing to Labor/Green. He is on their side!
He has no intention of being different as long as his Green policies are enshrined in law, preferably before he hands over to Shorten but it does not really matter. He will have shown Labor what a performer they lost and destroyed the family’s traditional conservative enemies from within.
It was really shocking when Turnbull would not campaign but won anyway by accident and would not come out, would not accept congratulations, thanked no one and attacked people. Betrayed by his Green friends at the last minute. There was a man who was happy to lose.
Now for two years he has been the dog which caught the car, living on Abbott’s policies and with only a one seat majority, utterly frustrated. At least his dirty tricks team stand a chance of getting rid of Dutton.
40
Dutton do the dirty and keep us in Paris? He wouldn’t dare.
If the poltroon Turnbull has copped some from sarcasm from me, a back-sliding, ABC-tickling, luvvie-friendly Dutton will be what’s left of cold toast after a hit from a block-splitter. Even I terrify me – and I’m me!
Just give me my coal, okay? It’s all about the coal, Peter. I want it.
71
Warning.
Don’t say you weren’t warned …
Deputy PM @M_McCormackMP claims Australia is ‘more than meeting’ the Paris Agreement emissions reduction target of 26%.
‘It’s based on the data that is produced by those people who measure emissions.’
https://twitter.com/SkyNewsAust/status/1031426688821821441
And you thought clueless was a movie …
30
The new Nationals are going Green as the younger National members think sustainable is more than a meaningless socialist political stratagem. In fact it is Agenda 21, socialism masquerading as environmentalism.
61
TdeF
Yes re Agenda 21. I am re-posting this vid, which I think is
significant.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ykELwj1Ta8
Lady with wild hair 🙂 and says she’s a democrat but listen
in for 10 minutes, her analysis of land use plans re Agenda 21.
My own serf research, and on the job experience cross references
RK’s assessment of Agenda 21, re ‘education’ values indoctrination
and my research on George Soros, man behind the curtain, supra-state
funding, ( ref: beththeserf.wordpress,com. 50th Edition, Serf Under
_ground Journal.) I have a file a foot thick, Soros’ ‘Open Society’
is anything but free, not parliamentary democracy but top-down,
blueprint for Orwell’s 1984.
40
She reminds me of ‘Hotlips Houlahan’ in M.A.S.H. but what she has to say is very interesting indeed.
40
Yes, Annie, she does. 🙂
… Say, when r u coming to Melbourne again?
20
Not sure. Plenty go do here and normally only go there for family reasons. Will let you know if a suitable visit comes up!
10
Or, to look at it another way, if we are ‘more than meeting’ we can clearly afford to transfer some cash away from environmental projects and put it towards something else. Something else like, say, baseload power? 😀
40
Hard to say what to make of the 48-35.
At first glance it tells us the obvious – Turnbull still owns the Big Chair.
At longer study it is not really that good. Turnbull called this, not Dutton. Up till that moment Dutton has been playing the game and not formally declaring his intention one way or the other. So Turnbull calls his bluff and rather than Dutton backing down or the entire party room slowly shuffling away from Dutton, 35 of them declare they would rather have Dutton as leader.
If Dutton had called the spill and only come up with 35 then it would be over for Dutton, but remember this was Turnbull trying to prove he still has the full support of his party.
Not a disaster for Turnbull, but not really a win either.
Plus, now the public and the DelCons will have names.
30
Another spill apparently mooted for thursday??
Stick a fork in Malcolm, he’s done.
Even speculation that Malcolm may visit the GG?? Would likely mean a HoR and 1/2 Senate election?
Have to check Anthony Greens site on the implications of that??
30
Provided he doesn’t call for an early election. If he does it exposes him as either a mad man or an ALP mole simply because we all know that Shorten will win by a landslide.
40
Well, his office has said he is NOT considering that.
However, statements like that probably need to be looked at with some scepticism. 🙂
30