While we contemplate the tragedy that has befallen the once great party of Billy McMahon, let us also consider what’s on Bill Shorten’s to do list today. Pop into the office late, check emails, go to question time, make merry, flip through soft furnishing brochures, have a long lie down.
That’s pretty much all Bill Shorten has to do right now. I would add Labor’s tactics yesterday to suspend Question Time and bring forth a vote of no confidence in the Turnbull government were terrible. It would have been a better exercise to drag up Liberal frontbenchers who had voted for the challenger, Peter Dutton, and asked them questions of the “Does the current Prime Minister enjoy your full support?” type. Almost certainly the questions would have been ruled out of order, but it would have made for great theatre.
Look, it’s not all bad news. At least Malcolm Turnbull won a poll for the first time yesterday in what, 18 months or more.
For now, it is enough to know that voters hate what they are seeing. The next Newspoll promises to be such painful reading for the Liberal Party that the numbers may just as well have been toted up by the Marquis de Sade. Thank you, Sir. May I have another?
In times of great tumult, if you are like me you will turn not just to print and online reports but to television for that additional sense of immediacy. I have followed the travails of the Liberal Party, leading to this reckless act of self-destruction on Sky News because it offers the best political coverage on television bar none. It does so without ostentation. It is political news done on the smell of an oily rag. The team led by David Speers is well connected, often reporting on SMS communiques received from members of the beleaguered party in real time.
Full column here.
Antony Green the ABC’s political Guru tells us the hows and whys of holding a Federal Election and it transpires the last possible date for a House of Representatives election is November 2, 2019. God help Australia as this mess unfolds. Labor no better, well we remember the mess they made with Rudd/Gillard/Rudd.
https://tinyurl.com/ydygp7kp
Cormann, Cash and Fifield now support Dutton, Mr. Insider. Goodbye Malcolm thanks for coming. Also goodby Lib/Nats at the upcoming Federal Election thanks for coming. Bill Shorten and Labor the big winner today.
It is a grey day in Canberra and that is fully appropriate. Tonight, however, I am dining with the GOAT. This will be a welcome distraction from the apparent imminent elevation of an also grey, possibly ineligble, Queensland plod sitting on less than 2% in his own seat and reviled by a (soon to be revealed) massive chunk of the Australian population. And the Libs think this will be an IMPROVEMENT?! Can they think of no-one else?
They have gone MAD.
Great comment. Why does the name Campbell Newman keep coming into my head? Is that a real person, or is my memory playing me up?
It’s on again. Dutton will have done the numbers before calling Turnbull. Bet he quits Parliament this time.
“The king is dead. Long live the king!”
Turnbull’s been a willing hostage to the Liberal party so it’s long past time anyway that he leaves a party who represents nothing he personally believes in. Wouldn’t it be hilarious if he joined the ALP?
He tried when Richo was a Minister. They told him no.
It’s become a nasty habit Bella. Perhaps Rudd was right when he made it harder to boot the leader of the ALP.
I believe the liberal party has been held hostage by Turnbull for too long, Bella. He has been [I believe] a serial leaker, white ant-er and the sole architect of the existential crisis that is now manifest in the liberal party. He is a disgrace.
The biggest problem with ABC News 24 is that it isn’t. News or 24/7. If something big in happening, I can flip over to Sky or Fox or the BBC and get up-to-the-minute reporting. CNN used to be in that rotation until their new “we hate Trump 24/7” programming commenced–someone really ought to fire Zucker about losing 25% of their audience.
But, long after something has aired on Sky, and then 7, Nine and Ten, the ABC will stop broadcasting about their obsession du jour and get to the “breaking news”.
As an aside, whichever intern does the chyrons needs to have their keyboard taken away.
All beaten by Twitter (if you use some discretion!)
Anyone who doesn’t watch Sky has their head in the clouds.
Who is that man laughing, Mr. Insider could it be ex-ousted PM Tony Abbott as the Liberal Party disintegrates around him.
https://www.jacktheinsider.com/?p=659
Possibly this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLxHjNDnQlo
Is it over yet?
SKY before 6 pm=good, after it’s la la land.
I’m going to the “dark side” as far as this neck of the woods is concerned and will be lending a hand or donating to Warringahs Labor candidate, anything to try and unseat that destroyer of governments called Abbott.
Falinski’s ok in his seat far as I’m concerned a descent bloke
I’ve left you speechless 😀
Abbott had a -9% swing against him at the last election.
That’s even more succinct than Smoke’s effort yesterday. Did it get moderated? 🙂
I tried that and got told I was wrong
It would be nice to see him lose his seat, wouldn’t it!
Like Jack I too was left speechless by that comment, Tracy.
It’s all rather confusing.
It would seem there is no place for a centre party and it’s either Bill and the Unions – or Abbott, Dutton and co. And then we have the Greens.
I don’t like the ALP, mainly because of union involvement, but on the other hand i do not like the hard right either.
Where the “middle-of-the roaders” go now is anyone’s guess.
Dutton, TA et al should probably form a new party and join ranks with One Nation and the LNP.
Where that leaves Turnbull and his supporters God only knows.
It’s a real shame.
TA has a lot to answer for. Personally i dont think Turnbull is that bad, particularly on the international stage. He started in the right place but was undermined at every turn by that cunning weasel..
If I were him with all that money i would give them the finger and go sit on a beach somewhere!
Here’s the problem Boa, there is no hard right in Australia. There’s barely a right. But, hard left we’ve got tons of.
Well Dutts will soon take care of that, Dwight!
Yippeee!
Turnbull is the best Labor PM we ever had Boa.
I had a quick glance to the right and saw in your twitter feed a James Jeffrey (whom I rank supreme) post alluding to a PM Pyne and it provided me a long overdue tumescence. For mine if it’s not Abbott it’s Pyne, both liberal heavyweights, both warriors.
Pyne. Heavyweight.
😅
yeah I use pyne sinkers when I’m deep sea fishing for butterflies
I’d say there would also be quite a few on the Labor side, Milton experiencing a spot of vascular congestion at the thought of their imminent prospect of hopping onto the Treasury benches. With or without a portfolio.