Humble servant of the Nation

Barnaby Joyce, Malcolm Turnbull split in spectacular style

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Let me take you back. Way, way back to the evening of December 2, 2017. The Prime Minister and his deputy stood arm in arm at the West Tamworth Leagues Club. Joyce had just won the New England by-election by a thumping margin and Turnbull declared he was “putting the band back together.”

Ah, good times.

Alas, rock stars and politicians are, if nothing else, a difficult and unpredictable lot. Velvet Underground reformed and got halfway through a European tour in 1992 before the band’s two enormous egos, Lou Reed and John Cale, remembered why the band had split up in the first place. The two men hated the sight, let alone the creeping presence, of one another. The tour and the reunion ended abruptly, and Reed and Cale went their separate ways.

The Turnbull-Joyce combo did not come to grief because of crippling personality conflict. although it may do so at some time in the near future. But back then the band had only broken up when Joyce discovered his unfortunate New Zealand-news. We subsequently learned the High Court did not so hold and Joyce was off to a by-election that on the parliamentary numbers at least, threatened the Turnbull government’s majority.

Full column here.

1,092 Comments

  • Tracy says:

    I do like James Jeffrey.
    My daughter and I were watching the Joyce fall on his sword and we both looked at each other and said “who?” when he mentioned the weatherboard nine, so we aren’t mad after all.

  • Milton says:

    Barnaby to stand down. I said to the missus why didn’t he do this last week and she pointed out the holiday pay as dpm etc and she’s probably right. In the meantime Turnbull’s away and the mice have been playing.

    • The Bow-Legged Swantoon says:

      Might be trying to do what Adam Giles did to Terry Mills when he was out of the country?
      Of course, Adam was a snake who knifed a first-term leader, whereas Tony was the one who copped it from a snake.
      There would be a certain amount of poetic justice in returning the favour but I despair at what the Liberals have become.

      • Tracy says:

        But Tony was the knife wielder in 2009 would Shorten still be leader of the opposition if it wasn’t for Rudd’s lovely leaving present, I doubt it.

    • Mack the Knife says:

      So to summarise, Mr Joyce has to stand down because Mr Johnson was standing up.

  • Henry Blofeld says:

    Barnaby Joyce will resign as Leader of the National Party and Deputy PM, Mr Insider, he just announced it at Armidale NSW at a Press Conference.

  • Carl on the Coast says:

    So, ….. the hearsay is that Barnaby will throw the towel in this weekend and it’ll be all over red rover for Malcolm’s mob.

    Personally, I don’t believe a word of it.

  • Uncle Quentin says:

    I know its unlikely but wouldn’t it be fun. Turnbull incensed that Barnyard wont go/Nats wont push him, strips him of all his ministries. Imagine the Ructions….

  • Boadicea says:

    Hey JB. What do you think of Paul Hawken? He’s delivering a memorial lecture at uTas on solutions to global warming on Sunday. ?worth going along?

  • Tracy says:

    Tony’s throwing a bit of a tantrum today the old relevance deprivation getting to him, the park bench avec pigeons awaits.

    • Jack The Insider says:

      He’s officially off the leash. It is not a good look.

      • Milton says:

        he’s certainly off the leash, jti. as far as good looks go he’s not looking worse than the rest of the crowd.
        but, as an abbott man i’d prefer if he took a chill pill and saw the end of turnbull and shorten at the hands of the voters.
        alas, t abbott prefers to go against political smarts for the best interests of our country. respect, but I was hoping he would have taken something from the last scenario, tone’s.
        if anyone has contact with Abbott let him know for a modest fee, and digs, I will see him return to his rightful place as PM. If he’s so arrogant to look down his beak at a person without ‘credentials’ consider the horror
        that unfolded under ‘experts’?

      • The Outsider says:

        What a delusionoid Tony Abbott is:

        “but for my efforts in 2010 and 2013, Turnbull wouldn’t be prime minister and his ministers wouldn’t be in office. So I think they should listen with a degree of respect.”

        As Bill Hayden said earlier, the proverbial drover’s dog could have won that election. Abbott just happened to be sitting in the saddle at the time.

        • Trivalve says:

          Dunno about drover’s dog but Abbott was a brilliant attack dog. Didn’t know what sort of pooch to be in government though and just kept attacking instead of promulgating -ahem – good government. Some of these people lose sight of what’s good for the country vs what gets them the glittering prize.

    • Jean Baptiste says:

      Now he’s got another cranky mate on the back bench.
      This is going to fun . Let the good times roll!

      Barnaby and Tony, to tune of Bonny and Clyde.

      • Boadicea says:

        I dont think Joyce will be a white-anter, Abbott style.

        • Trivalve says:

          No, he’ll be a termite Barnaby style. Besides, this isn’t a backstabbing, it’s a tap on the shoulder.

        • Dismayed says:

          Yvonne are you aware how often your Barnaby crossed the floor and voted against his coalition parties before becoming leader of the nationals? As many many have pointed out he is for Barnaby and nothing else. No Surprises.

          • Boadicea says:

            Not ”my Barnaby”, Gary. He’s Vikki’s

            • Dismayed says:

              Yvonne your obsession and delusions are getting worse. this poor gary you keep bringing up did he disagree with your ridiculous comments over the wall? How is that possible? It is an echo chamber for right wing freaks like you. Don’t tell me your comments are just as vacuous over there? No Surprises.

  • Jean Baptiste says:

    Another splendid idea from the POTUS, endorsed by the NRA. How about that for no child left behind?
    Cant get a gun?
    Brain the teacher with a baseball bat and you’re packing heat and good to go.

    • Bella says:

      How do you drag a country back from that?
      We take it for granted that our children are safe at school here but for parents in the US it must feel like playing russian roulette.
      The NRA won’t bend & Trump’s just their mouthpiece so we simply wait for the next massacre & the next & ……..nobody will do anything.

      • Dismayed says:

        Why does anyone need an assault rifle?

        • Jean Baptiste says:

          Accoutrements. Damn, we’re talking about folk living up to John Wayne. Fellas gotta have an assault rifle , a brace of Colts, camo and an SUV. Little skinny fella or big fat fella never made the high school football team needs whole mess of assault rifles or he don’t amount to a hill of beans.
          Rest of them reckon theres a hell of a lot of marginal personalities out there with assault rifles so it wouldn’t hurt none to be prepared.
          If I lived in an open carry state I think after seeing who’s walking around with a gun I’d get one too. And sign up to a “quick draw” school.

      • Jean Baptiste says:

        Phew! Planet America had a terrific segment on the stats and complexities. They will amaze you. Catch it on IView.
        Statistically, it’s not really Russian Roulette, or anything like it.
        The only way is better education and better opportunities, a complete overhaul of the culture.
        Aint gonna happen. Theres huge money in guns and ammunition and all the consumables and services that go with it and the endless stream of gun violence for popular entertainment.

  • Trabvitch says:

    Been in South Africa, a country with toxic (but now hopefully improving) politics with CR replacing Zuma

    Get back to Oz and to the BJ non issue which seems to go on and on. QF63 here I come again.

    Seriously, it is a non issue compared to issues facing OZ. Did Bill Shorten’s and Tony Burke’s affairs get the same attention?

    And if BJ had left his wife for a man he would have been lauded.

  • Dismayed says:

    Razor says: February 20, 2018 at 9:00 am. I see the ABC despite the interference from turnbull and fifefield have put Alberici’s article back up.
    https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2018/02/22/emma-alberici-tax-abc/?utm_source=Responsys&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20180222_PM_Update

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