Poor Malcolm Turnbull, caught in a trap, a web, a snare, ambushed and assailed, boxed in and brutishly bushwhacked by Malcolm Turnbull.Malcolm Turnbull set the trap for himself on September 14, 2015. Standing on the parliament lawns, he announced his resignation from cabinet and challenged a first term prime minister who had been in the job for two years to a spill in the party room.
Turnbull gave three reasons. A lack of economic leadership. A lack of cabinet process and the loss of 30 consecutive Newspolls.
“The one thing that is clear about our current situation is the trajectory. We have lost 30 Newspolls in a row. It is clear that the people have made up their mind about Mr Abbott’s leadership.”
Last year he told Miranda Devine he had regrets.
“I do regret having said it only because it allowed people to focus on that, rather than substantive reasons,” he said.
This is classic Turnbull. He doesn’t regret making the statement. He regrets only that his words have been manipulated and misconstrued his words by others.
Full column here.
The fabulous James Valentine puts Turnbull’s predicament all into a song for us Mr Insider, very cleverly too imho. James of course is a journalist, musician, and radio and television presenter. As a saxophonist he was a member of Jo Jo Zep, Models and Absent Friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SCZCHuinZs
Nah!
I like symmetry.
Rudd wins a huge majority. Rudd is rolled. Julia almost loses the next election Rudd gets his old job back and probably saves quite a few seats.
Tony wins a huge majority. Tony is rolled. Turnbull almost loses the next election. So therefore Tony should get his old job back and stop a complete rout.
Other than that, there is another tradition in Australian politics whereby a woman gets the job when all is hopeless. That means Julie Bishop .
They could have a by-election and get Peta Credlin into parliament. She is one of the few in Liberal politics who could articulately take on Labor.
Great post JS. Credlin would tear them apart.
Given what she did without authority, she’d be a scary proposition with it
You guys don’t get it, The reason the conservative coalition are struggling is because of people like Credlin and all the others that are dragging the once so called “Liberal” party further to right and extremes, that is why Australians are waking up to their toxic, divisive agendas. Credlin has admitted various attacks were about politics and ideology nothing to do with what is best for the Nation. For the cons it is all about being in Power not about doing what is best for the Nation. You guys need to get out of your echo chambers.
this is reason enough alone to stop building coal fired power plants “Airborne mercury pollution from coal-fired power stations in Victoria’s Latrobe valley increased 37% in just 12 months, according to an annual national survey of toxic emissions.
The mercury output from Loy Yang B power station alone more than doubled to 831kg in 2016-2017, an increase of 123% over five years. ”
Energy s just another area this Nation cannot afford to have the coalition going anywhere near.
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/apr/03/coal-fired-power-stations-caused-surge-in-airborne-mercury-pollution-study-finds
oh my. don’t subsidise renewable,s but we must subsidise coal? Forgetting coal is already subsidised through the whole process from extraction to burning. these guys prove just how ridiculous the conservative coalition are.
No cuts to health No cuts to Education No cuts etc etc. Um er Ah but Um er ah but continues to highlight the cons true nature, if they cant have it no one can. His latest efforts highlight just how unsuitable he is to represent this Nation. There seems to be delusional supporters of his that think one of his numerous embarrassing efforts cost him. He is NOT a leader he is a divider. The sooner he leaves parliament the better off this Nation will be. For the sake of the Nation lets hope he takes dutton and several other conservative coalition members with him.
With your indulgence Jack but still on the matter of Newspolls, popularity, success, professionalism, etc, a quick reply to Penny’s 4 Apr, 1.40pm post from the previous if I may.
Penny, I know nought about Roxy “whatshername” but if she is “constantly in the news”, as you say, then she has obviously successfully attracted fairly widespread attention, including your own. Perhaps her PR mo must have something going for it.
Re your question on who I consider are the most “professional” PR people in Australia, well I think that’s just a bit silly. But it only takes a quick glimpse of Paul Holmes’s Report on the internationally most prominent PR listings and you’ll note Australia’s PPR, whoever they may be, is ranked at around 51. Prominence and professionalism, etc is apparently measured according to gross fee income. You are probably aware Penny, that Paul Holmes is apparently lauded as the most authoritative voice of the global PR industry.
As for myself, I admit to being the least authoritative voice on PR and consider it all to be very much akin to fairy floss and just as substantive. I think descriptors such as “professional” and “prominent” in the context of PR are such nebulous words. But then again I ain’t no Paul Holmes.
You miss my point entirely Carl. But if you want to discuss the importance of maintaining a positive image when you are in the public domain you might consider the fact that PR is not as inconsequential as you seem to think. Corporations, politicians, sporting personalities all need professional people to assist them to ensure that their reputations remain intact. You seem to confuse this with publicity and attention seeking personalities who seem to believe in the old adage that any publicity is good publicity. As you can see that has not worked out for the Warners who will however probably earn more money from this than Smith and Bancroft will. I would like to venture the opinion however that Smith and Bancroft’s reputations will be enhanced by their quiet acceptance of their fate.
Anyway we have moved on from this topic, so I can’t be bothered discussing the value of the PR industry as you have yourself admitted to know nothing about it.
Thanks for your perseverance Penny. I think I’ll wing it, skip the rep maintenance and keep a low profile. It may ensure my beleagured bank balance remains intact.😉
If I’m not mistaken I think Roxy’s husband is currently serving a prison sentence for insider trading or something like that, Carl.
She hit the front pages at the time with that too. Looking tearful etc.
He got released end of last year Boa.
the conservative coalition have almost tripled debt since the 2013 election. The 2013 PEFO at the time had debt peaking at 12% under Labor settings and spending commitments then dropping along with the budget back in surplus last year, debt is currently at 19% of GDP and rising, the conservative coalition have maintained spending above 25.5% of GDP for the entire time in office, only for one year during the GFC did Labor do that, the cons coalition has raised the overall tax take and had growing tax revenues year on year unlike the period during the GFC . the conservative coalition have actively damaged whole industry sectors even destroying the Automotive industry purely for political ideology but now want to Re-Nationalise the Energy Sector at huge cost to taxpayers which would make energy more expensive. The cons coalition for political ideology wrecked the future proofing national infrastructure project, the NBN, which would have helped Rural and Regional area’s economically. They have allowed the Nationals to waste multi $ billions$ in pork barrelling exercises in Sugar, Dairy, Water, NAIF, the bank of Barnaby, the cost to these alone is over $20 billion in the forward estimates. the conservative coalition have wasted another decade of the Nations progress. We are seeing now the cost of a decade of waste and largesse of the howard /costello regime still around $80 billion per year, this latest cons coal regime’s damages will have similar long lasting. stifling effects on Australia. We know the cons run on ideology not the National interests. The conservative coalition are not only their own worst enemy the are the worst enemy of the National interest.
Very well summed up Jack. I often think what would have been without the knighthood thing. Abbott couldn’t turn it around from there. He misread the Australian people terribly. As for MT, those who know him say the size of his ego is unsurpassed, he obviously had no doubt in his mind he’d turn it around.
I wouldn’t get too caught up on the current gap. It always closes come election time and that narrowing usually favours the coalition when they are in government. They’ll lose but they won’t lose 20 seats.
Nikki Savaa nailed it…Abbott’s demise was due to 1. Lies 2. That 2014 budget
Hey, Razor, Abbott didn’t misread the Australian people. When he reintroduced knighthoods he was giving us the middle finger. Most just laughed, so he decided to go one further and give us a brown eye by knighting Prince Phillip. Just a continuation of his undergraduate approach to politics. What a scumbag.
Does “Prime Minister Bill Shorten” catch in your throat a bit Razor, it does mine but Turnbull has done it all to himself. His latest waffle of $60 billion Company Tax cuts I feel has gone down with the Aussie Voters like a lead balloon. Cheers
Certainly catches in my throat HB. Gag response kicks.
Oh what a tangled web we weave… Another example of where honesty is the best policy. Why not tell the truth about dumping Abbott, he was flakey, his idiotic captains picks were destroying the government, he was dominated by his own chief of staff and we could not work with him anymore? Bit like Labor and Rudd and the nonsense of “a good government that had lost its way”.
What a revelation, the punters appreciate truth, and won’t punish leaders who square up to them…
True, UQ.
So many who support TA seem to have completely forgotten just how bad a PM he was. As you say, the knighthood finished him off.
What a shame Turnbull could not consolidate.
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Oh please. Turnbull was still butthurt that he’d been replaced by a man he considered inferior. He set about a constant program of white-anting, with the help of a compliant media. Did Abbott make mistakes? Yes. Was Turnbull justified? No, as we are seeing. This was ego pure and simple. Mal is a political invertebrate and he may destroy the once great Liberal party with his ineptitude.
Spot on, Dwight. And as I’ve said before, Abbott’s biggest mistake was not making
oops, Turnbull treasurer.
And don’t I just love those Republican’s who like a good knee’s up and a Pimms on the public teat. Old PK wouldn’t say no to some rouge and a beauty spot in his high class brothel if the clientele met with his discerning tastes.
These progressives need to move forward.
You’re spot on Dwight. Abbott also was up against an unrelenting, antipathetic press.
cotc do the cons ever run out of excuses?
Funny, Carl, but I can’t recall your criticism of Tony Abbott’s words in relation to Julia Gillard’s government:
“We’ve been very well served by the media in Australia. Yes, politicians don’t always like the coverage that they get, but if you are in public life you’ve got to take the rough with the smooth.”
Or
“A vigorous, critical media is an important part of a healthy democracy and I think the Prime Minister should accept that.”
Or Abbott’s advice to Gillard: “If you want better coverage, be a better government.”
Spot off Dwight. He was a disaster. Everyone knew it and knew he would be. Keating picked him as resident nutter the moment he set foot in the joint. It was only down to Credlin closely managing him that some killer gaffe didn’t occur way earlier, before the 2013 election. He was widely considered unelectable and it took the biggest foot-shooting in Australian political history to change that. Just shows what a party can do to throttle themselves when they really put their minds to it.
Another excellent post Uncle Quentin. There’s an unquantifiable variable in the demise of Rudd, Gillard, and Abbott; Individual Members’ resentment at stalled careers, the vengeance of the overlooked, the panic of the Marginal Seaters and the I-Just-Don’t-Bloody-Like-You’s. Joe Average can only guess at personal motive.
Your opening statement summed Turnbull’s predicament up perfectly, Mr Insider and I quote: “Poor Malcolm Turnbull, caught in a trap, a web, a snare, ambushed and assailed, boxed in and brutishly bushwhacked by Malcolm Turnbull.”
We are planning a small “No30” get together, drinks and finger foods to celebrate the stupidity of PM Turnbull. Even sadder the Lib/Nats are ready for him to go to possibly 50 before the inevitable Election mauling! No one wants to take the “helm” of the “SS Liberal” as she rises in the air. Turnbull should do a Captain Edward Smith of the SS Titanic and go down with his “vessel” imho.