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Abbott’s Leadership back on the Agenda

Amanda Vanstone, in her column in The Age today, gives us an inkling of not just a divided cabinet, but one where the knives are out for someone and that someone is probably Tony Abbott.

The now infamous cabinet leak on citizenship that has captivated everyone in the media and given the average person in the street some insight into the goings on in cabinet, will also stand, I suspect, as the first salvo, in a renewed attempt to dump Abbott.

The leak was in Peter Hartcher’s article in The Age where he detailed with great precision a discussion in cabinet concerning a proposal to cancel the citizenship (sole or dual) of those found to be terrorists.

Hartcher wrote, “Six members of the Abbott cabinet have risen up against an extraordinary proposal to give a minister the power to strip an Australian of their sole citizenship.

“The idea, proposed by Immigration Minister Peter Dutton with the support of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, divided a meeting of the cabinet on Monday night.”

The problem with the proposal was that some ministers present had not been advised that such a discussion was planned. This has been widely interpreted as Abbott trying to ambush his own cabinet and get a quick result for a measure that was not on the agenda.

Amanda Vanstone in her article says, “Tony Abbott is a constitutional monarchist and a self-confessed Anglophile, so for him to tolerate, let alone be at the helm of, a ship that throws the Westminster system of cabinet government out the window is simply astounding.”

One can now rightly wonder if there is plotting either in play, or at least in the minds of those who view Abbott’s citizenship ploy as an ambush. It prompts the question: Is this the beginning of his inevitable downfall? Has Abbott shot himself in the foot and the head? Reading beyond Amanda Vanstone’s article one could well think that he may have.

She writes, “So you can imagine my profound disappointment, bordering on despair, when I see some on “my team” thinking it is OK for a minister alone to take away a citizen’s rights – indeed, take away citizenship – in the blink of an eye. No appeal, no judicial process, just a ministerial decision. What were they thinking?”

What indeed!

It is one thing for the prime minister to be offside with his backbenchers, as he clearly was with the motion to spill in February. But the ambush and then the post-leak cabinet meeting where he read the riot act to his ministers, now referred to as his ‘Come to Jesus moment’, suggests he might well have sowed the seeds of his own destruction.

This latest mess he has created on matters of process and power, his attempt to effect a policy change on citizenship by stealth, has shown that he has not learnt from his ‘near death’ experience in February.

With opinion polls giving the government a small post-budget lift, but one that does not seem to have been sustained, the issue of Abbott’s leadership is once again, up for murmurings.

In February he had the backing of cabinet but not the backbench. Now he has dissent in cabinet as well. That, by any measure, is a dangerous cocktail.

That brings us to the question of who leaked. Peter Hartcher says it was more than one person participating in the room. Amanda Vanstone discounts Malcolm Turnbull.

“It is so clearly not in the interest of anyone who would prefer Malcolm as leader to leak the discussion, because it would undoubtedly hurt his future chances with some on the right of the Liberal Party.”

If it wasn’t Malcolm Turnbull, who was it? The answer lies inside the answer to another question: who would benefit from leaking this highly damaging information? Who, inside cabinet?

Whoever it was, one can surmise that the next bad poll would be enough for them to raise the leadership issue and place it on the agenda.

It is only 18 months before the next election and a leadership change beyond July or August will not work in their favour.

One can only guess the degree of head counting going on right now inside parliament’s hallowed halls. Never mind about the stripping of citizenship and the democratic process.

 

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58 comments

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  1. Graham Houghton

    Sack the idiot and then pursue the citizenship issue so he can be stripped of his Australian citizenship and deported back to where he belongs (without his pension of course and with an order to pay back every cent he’s taken from Australian taxpayers).

  2. David

    Inspired writing John. So I ask the question I have asked elsewhere…what has Dutton got on Abbott that he keeps him in the Ministry? Dutton is hopelessly incompetent, a fool, has no public persona and an embarrassment. Loyalty is not enough for one of the senior Cabinet posts to be entrusted to this tosser. He failed miserably in Health and is repeating that in Immigration.
    Something is hidden.

  3. kerri

    Agreed Graham Houghton! How dare he plot to strip Australians of their citizenship when he won’t transparelty declare his own citizenship? But John Kelly, he now has the support of the back bench but not of the Cabinet!!!
    Either way it is a party clearly divided which was Abbott’s greatest criticism of the Rudd/Gillard governments!
    If only the ALP were worth voting for?
    David # maybe Dutton has the RN certificate???

  4. Loz

    My guess is on Scott Morrison who is responsible for the leak. I would not trust this man one iota, then again I would not trust any other member of this government. They are despicable.

  5. Kaye Lee

    Sophie Morris has a good article in the Saturday Paper which makes me wonder if it was Abbott’s office responsible for the leak.

    “For Abbott, it may have already served its practical purpose. He has posed as “instinctively” tough on terrorism, tougher indeed than his leadership rivals. He has issued a veiled threat to cabinet ministers that leaking has “political and personal consequences”. He has rallied backbenchers around him and forced Labor to pre-emptively declare “in-principle” support for laws it is yet to see.”

    Andrew Nikolic is a worry. The petition was handed around backbenchers in Question Time on Thursday.

    “Liberal MP Andrew Nikolic, who was promoted to the Coalition whips team when Ruddock was shafted from it in February, moved a rather bellicose motion supporting the government’s approach to national security, no doubt designed to pressure Labor.”

    https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/news/politics/2015/06/06/citizenship-stripping-and-abbotts-jihad-civil-rights/14335128001974#.VXUcuTcw9jo

    Even though anyone with half a brain can see the problems with this, the Coalition backbench is manned by people like George Christensen who described the #i’llridewithyou campaign as a “pathetic left-wing black arm band brigade campaign” and who posted on his Facebook page a cartoon depicting Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk naked on a wrecking ball. What hope have we of any common sense being shown? The tougher Tony is the more fools like Christensen will back him.

  6. Brad

    I can well imagine that tony is despised by some, if not many, of his colleagues, who will be almost as pleased to see the back of him as I will. There is nothing likeable about the bloke and trashing just about everything in the joint makes him worse.

  7. Steve Laing

    I reckon ScoMo put Dutton and Nikolic up to it. Scum won’t be the one pulling the trigger, but he is the scheming Lady Macbeth if ever there was one. It is too damaging to Tony to think that he or his team leaked it – disarray in the ranks is a bigger issue to him than decent policy.

  8. Evelyn Wheeler

    I posted the article on my FB page this morning with the following comment…..it really is all over Tony, the fat lady has sung.

  9. my say

    Surely even those with half a brain ,know what Abott/ Dutton are trying to do is is so wrong ,they are a danger to all Australians,We will be fighting Muslims in our own country soon ,and Abbott will say i told you so ,He is terrorising australians ,he needs to be stopped, and if Shorten agrees with disgusting proposal he needs to go too

  10. dwejevans

    Yep, the Fat Lady has sung, it’s all over now!

  11. cartoonmick

    The motion spill in February caused the reins to be pulled in and a flurry of words and slogans about “listening” and the emergence (that week) of the “good” government.

    Then, slowly over the last month or two, the old government mentality has crept back in. Maybe it never left, but has just become more apparent.

    I think this cartoon on February’s spill and “good” government is still applicable . . . . . .

    Editorial / Political

    Cheers
    Mick

  12. Clean livin

    An interesting aside. All members of Cabinet, of either flavour of the political spectrum, believe in Cabinet confidentiality, especially Abbott, who supposedly read the riot act to his Cabinet, with the supposedly pretext of “robust discussion”.

    Interesting because it was Abbott who made available the Gillard Cabinet minutes, and it will probably be the next Labor Government who makes available, the Abbott government Cabinet minutes! So much for robust discussion with this hanging over your head.

    Also interesting because someone leaked the outcome, (sic) to the Telegraph. And that someone was most likely of Abbotts staff, or Abbott himself.

    Perhaps Abbott should practice what he preaches!

  13. Graeme Henchel

    Welcome to AustraLIAR
    a land where lies abound
    and truth is such a rarity
    it’s seldom to be found

    You wonder how it’s come to this
    a land once young and free
    is now a place of fraud and fear
    and stark dishonesty

    Our mendacious “leaders”
    are the best that can be bought
    by multinational billionaires
    whose ethics count for nought

    Welcome to AustraLIAR
    unless you are the needy
    our common wealth is not to share
    except amongst the greedy

    We’re now the land of double speak
    of broken trust and failure
    While honest folk just shake their heads
    lamenting lost Australia

    Yet still the polls belie the fact
    the country’s in a mess
    The proles it seems believe the lies
    they read in Murdoch press

    Welcome to AustraLIAR
    a land that once was proud
    We’ve now become a global joke
    our innocence deflowered

    There’s those who say they’re all the same
    all parties show bad form
    but never in our history
    has lying been the norm

    So what to do to stop the rot
    and turn the ship about
    For fairness and integrity
    we must kick these liars out.

  14. Möbius Ecko

    An IPA spokesman on ABC News Breakfast, where they are entrenched, also spoke out against Abbott on not only this removal of citizenship but a couple of other of his policy brain farts.

    You must be on the nose if those who are your mentors and props turn against you.

  15. Andreas Bimba

    We are not ruled by the Conservatives or the ALP. These are just the front men for public relations purposes and are there to let most Australians think we have a fuctioning democratic system. Some policy in the interests of citizens is delivered but most of the important policy and legislation that our governments deliver serves those that rule from behind the scenes. The Minerals Council, Banking/Finance, the media moguls, the China lobby, a few other main lobbies and the top 5 or even 1% rule more tightly now than they ever did in the past. Our loss of a credible mass media that reaches a majority of the electorate, the buying of the Conservatives and the ALP by lobbyists and the further development of a disengaged or gullible electorate, were the key turning points and hardly anyone noticed.

    We should all vote for credible minor political parties like the Greens but our rotten local representative voting system for the House of Representatives actively destroys all minor parties with widely distributed voter bases and our corrupt mass media brain washes or disempowers the electorate.

  16. Kevin Arnold

    I am not sure if she was Minister, but Vanstone was in Government when Australian citizens were being deported during the Howard years.

  17. Annie B

    Another great article John. ….

    …………..

    ” Dutton is hopelessly incompetent, a fool, has no public persona and an embarrassment.”

    Well, like attracts like often enough, David – and the abbot and dutton are like two peas in a pod. … I won’t mention the combined brain-power that might exist !! ( not )

    That’s why the abbot keeps the current Immigration Minister around … but you have a point … what might he have on Sir leader ?

    Still believe that leak was manufactured – by the abbots’ office, at his direction. …. He is as destructive as he ever was …. the word ‘implosion’ comes to mind. …. He sure is under a lot of external pressure – after all !

  18. Kaye Lee

    At the risk of offending the sensibilities of those who enjoy a good poem, here is the Liberal Party manifesto as written by Gina Rinehart…it’s scary to see how faithfully her minions are doing her bidding.

    Our Future

    The globe is sadly groaning with debt, poverty and strife
    And billions now are pleading to enjoy a better life
    Their hope lies with resources buried deep within the earth
    And the enterprise and capital which give each project worth
    Is our future threatened with massive debts run up by political hacks
    Who dig themselves out by unleashing rampant tax
    The end result is sending Australian investment, growth and jobs offshore
    This type of direction is harmful to our core
    Some envious unthinking people have been conned
    To think prosperity is created by waving a magic wand
    Through such unfortunate ignorance, too much abuse is hurled
    Against miners, workers and related industries who strive to build the world
    Develop North Australia, embrace multiculturalism and welcome short term foreign workers to our shores
    To benefit from the export of our minerals and ores
    The world’s poor need our resources: do not leave them to their fate
    Our nation needs special economic zones and wiser government, before it is too late

  19. Sarah

    We are all for revoking citizenship to the mass that are just here
    in Aussie to cause problems by hurting Australians. Brought in
    to do just that. Let us have a conversation about the Club of
    Rome? The most powerful Catholic Mafia that seems to be
    flexing their muscles with “their boys” that have gone to their
    “Social Justice” schooling. Why not social responsibility!
    for children that went through their pathetic convent system,
    that were sexually exploited by their Paedophile/Pederast/
    Priests. The gang of 6 who do not want citizenship revoked,
    are there 5 active Roman Catholics? I wonder what Whitlam would
    have made of this, as he disliked people like Bishop Mannix
    of the Catholic Mafia. We should also be having a
    conversation on the” Ndrangheta” also part of the Catholic
    Mafia. Why are these people not paying Australian Taxes?

  20. David

    With the amount of Terrorist rhetoric we are being bombarded with, if the next Newspoll doesn’t give the wank the lead, look out for a manufactured terrorist strike in one of the major cities or two or three. The evil physco will stop at practically nothing to get victory

  21. Sarah

    Did Vanstone not get a cushy job in the Club of Rome?
    Abbott is a Romaphile just like the fat lady is!!!!
    They are both the same, both educated into “Social Justice”
    & both play the Catholic Mafia game. Both are not very bright
    compared to Whitlam & Hawke both educated to a much
    higher standard. Tim Fisher also received a Club of Rome
    job & also it not very bright. Also plays the Catholic Mafia
    game. Let us have a Royal Commission into the Catholic
    Mafia? Who paid for Vanstone & Fisher Leftie gig?

  22. Phi

    Abbott has all the tendencies and all the personality disorders especially that of narcissism, to set in motion a false flag operation.

  23. totaram

    Frankly, I would like Abbott to remain leader and lead the coalition to a comprehensive defeat at the next election.

  24. mars08

    Part of me wonders… how is this a good thing?

    Once again Australia could have it’s PM ejected by internal scheming of party politics rather than the electorate. The final decision taken out of voter’s hands. Yet another excuse for great slabs of voters to remain distracted and disengaged.

  25. stephentardrew

    Good ship Abbot has been listing and is heading for the rocks.

    When madam Vanstone calls him out things are really getting serious.

    What to do with the gang of four Abbott, Hockey, Dutton and Morrison?

    Its is going to get hot in the hold as the disliked Turnbull lives in hope while scary ISIS chemical Alli Bishop swaggers her Armani soul for power and control.

    Morrison living in hope that he will be lord of the flies.

    Tis going to be a sight to behold.

    Oh to be a fly on the wall to watch the circus play out on the good ship Venus.

  26. kathysutherland2013

    What I want to know is, how come Amanda Vanstone is calling this, not the ALP?

  27. paul walter

    As I said yesterday, the suite of laws emerging this century are not examples of isolated errors, but a clear and deliberate sweep from the global Right, to the resuscitation of elitist, irrational fascism.

    Vanstone demarcates the T junction between madness and mere conservatism.

    If the rational right abhors this stuff and feels inclined to blow the whistle, we must presume the fight against ultraism is worth perservering with, that there is still a little hope.

  28. Ana Milosevic

    I read above comments, and it’s so obvious that Abbott’s team has fallen apart, or maybe never been a team, just a bunch of incompetent people holding on to jobs where they feel comfortable in more ways then one, well paid, supported by 1% that more than likely can buy Australia without having to apply for mortgage. Abbott was fully supported by all those fascists that wanted to keep the job for it guaranties an luxurious retirement and always paid spot on TV when they need pocket money. If Abbott’ “leadership” is in question than I believe that he owes someone something more than we could imagine……. But even if they turf him out, which they should…… can any one name one of the front benchers who would be better for Australia (for economy or for the people at large) ??????? Turnbull is better orator, but as a leader he is in the same range as Tony, Joe, Scott, Chris. Julie, Bruce, Peter etc. etc. Collectively Abbott and his “government” should be turfed out never to return to Parliament House on the amount of LIES they have told Australians, before and after the election. They are all equally responsible for the disrepute they brought on the Parliament.

  29. David

    @kathysutherland2013…kathy ALP as in Apathetic Labor Party. Today they continued on Shortens Tony mate!!! soap with instead of just pushing hard for Womens Tampons being taken off the GST list end of story…oh know he had to hand Abbott a compromise and agree with a Netflix tax, which will see the GST charged on online purchases like music, books and movie downloads. . What a pathetic excuse for a politician he is. he is losing the young vote in droves. If my neighbours 20 yr old son is an example, they hate him
    Is no wonder there is an unprecedented demand for VPN’s, Hiding IP’s software with ways and means of downloading from torrent sites based overseas under the radar.
    Will no one in the party have the spine to take him aside and tell him to piss off?

  30. mars08

    @David: “What a pathetic excuse for a politician he is. he is losing the young vote in droves”

    Not just the young folks. I’m surprised at the number of middle-age males I’ve spoken to who say they are DONE with the ALP. Don’t know if they will have the audacity to vote Green… but they definitely see Labor as feeble and untrustworthy.

  31. paul walter

    Labor MUST stop equivocating and take the higher ground of principle. There are no longer stops left before we reach the terminus.

  32. totaram

    “Will no one in the party have the spine to take him aside and tell him to piss off?”

    These people have very thick skins (occupational hazard and necessity), so that won’t work. If they get back into govrnement only by the skin of their teeth and on the back of preferences from Green and other voters, they will realize they have a problem. So that is what we have to do. Vote 1 Green, coalition last. There is no other way to turn the ship around.

  33. Eelboy

    It shows how feared Rinehart is if no one close to her was game enough to point out how appallingly bad her poem is.

  34. stephentardrew

    Basically the Labor Party needs total reform. The right wing have gained control and the left are just a shadow of the past. Just when we need a true progressive outlook Labor falls into a a pseudo mix of neo-conservatism and liberal economics without a clear divide between these failed traditional modes of economic thinking and revisionary alternatives. AIMN has done its best to promote different models that can provide an alternative to the failures of Reagan-ism and Thatcher-ism however the major political parties show little to no interest. Putting the onus on Shorten misses the fact that Labor is a party not an individual though it is time for him to go.

    We need stronger unions and worker participation to counter the incredible power of finance and the banks. Money in politics is completely destroying democracy as US style lobbying infiltrates. Control of the media has completely undermined true equal representation based upon the weighted benefits of facts while irrationally is given equal voice to lies. Opinion replaces evidentiary facts.

    In my reasonably long life I do not remember a time worse than the current state of affairs. The work place used to be a forum for political participation, activism and enlightened discussion but in many industries that is long gone. Unions have been so vilified that many have lost the capacity for critical thinking. People no longer know the facts and therefore are easily misled.

    Nevertheless things were bad during the Vietnam war and we managed to stop the war. There is still hope but there is an urgent need for social education and action.

    If the Union movement cannot lead the way who can?

    The best hope I see at the moment is social media so let’s keep talking and thinking of solutions.

  35. Kaye Lee

    Eelboy, it struck me as sad too that Gina has been so indulged. Her first book received sad reviews too…

    “her recently released book — Northern Australia and then some: Changes we need to make our country rich —  is a big glossy bit of self-promotion by the great dynastic bogey-woman, who is monumentally proud of the more or less undeniable fact that she has made the country rich. What she has produced is a weirdly amateur book which is everywhere inscribed with the signature of someone accustomed to command but it is also — sometimes with a wildcard, unexpected poignancy — the work of someone who is blind to how she is being perceived.”

    ‘Mad beyond the dreams of Tamburlaine’: Rinehart book reviewed

    She released another one this year called “From Red Tape to Red Carpet and then some” whose title is taken from a phrase made famous by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Rinehart’s Hancock Prospecting published pages of anonymous feedback from the book all of which seemed to say Gina is really nice and the press lies about her.

    http://www.smh.com.au/business/cbd/not-a-bad-word-for-gina-rineharts-book-but-dont-ask-about-her-media-coverage-20150422-1mqe57.html

    It’s all a bit pathetic really.

    Speaking of which…just for you eelboy, here is Gina’s pome in praise of Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen:

    You travelled far and earned great fame, but always you stayed loyal
    To family and friends who supported you with time and love and toil.
    You spread decency and honour, pride in family and Queen.
    And when others wavered from their path, your conscience remained clean.
    We can admire the Sir Joh legacy just by looking around your state.
    Parkinson’s has laid you low, but you will always be
    The very best Queenslander, especially for me.

  36. Ned

    Abbott wants to deny Christian dual Anglo Australians from returning to Australia, because they were protecting their family and property with semi autos during economic collapse and civil war when earthquakes and economic collapse happens, some predict september when the dollar dies. He will say DHS cables received by DEFAT from our allies have declared them militants and Abbott will call them terrorists and will let them be sweeped up under Jade Helm15 and used as forced labor in civilian labor camps or killed. Abbott will willing participate in the biggest atrocities against anglo-Saxon Christians in history. Little did Abbott know he was aiding the Muslim brotherhood who run the administration. How white Christian and proud do ya feel now Abbott. His cabinet had a “send them to Jesus moment” thought bubble. They are no protectors of Christian values, he and the Christian right Hill song Morriscum crowd will be sacrificing the multitude of the true remnant Christians. Quayle on Hagmann and Hagmann says all the Goat farming mega churches are under Judgement. Morrison take note!

    Captain Jade Rabbott Helm 15 mutiny

  37. Jeffrey

    How does a society that is populated by reasonably intelligent and reasonably civilised people, remove a fascist regime, that is truly unaustralian, blatently involved in dirty deals that directly destroy the economy, destroy any progressive innovation and globally embarrass it’s constituents?

    I could use the ‘R’ word but they will gladly claim it to be equivalent to the ‘T’ word, and then create a media campaign to justify their financially rewarding crimes (for them) and execute by nefarious means those that expose their crimes.

  38. Annie B

    @ Sarah …

    Amanda Vanstone was educated at St. Peters’ Collegiate Girls school in Adelaide, SA, which is an independent ANGLICAN Girls’ college, … is not Roman Catholic. ….

    Most Catholic parents desire their kids to be educated through the Catholic Education system.

    If I am wrong, I am happy to admit it.

    ,,,,,,,,,,

    @ Phi … the abbot has already flown many false flags – at us, primarily. … called fear tactics. … with many more to come, unfortunately.

    ………

    @ Eelboy …. Seriously think Gina R should never quit her day job. … should continue to dig for treasures, and put the pen down – permanently. …. That was a weird piece of writing ( she has not enjoyed much in the way of literary talent and appreciation !! from her books – little wonder ) … and that poem was all over the damned place.

    Kaye reproduced it here … and in part –

    “To benefit from the export of our minerals and ores
    The world’s poor need our resources: do not leave them to their fate ”

    Self promotion ? … Yes.

    ????? .. Is she an incredibly sad sack – because of her greed; is she simply not able to communicate; or is she indeed afraid – very afraid, of something she knows, that we don’t ?

  39. kerri

    Kaye Lee I am guessing Gina failed year 8 poetry?

  40. Annie B

    @ stephen tardrew …

    Your comments are spot on – with one exception ( in my opinion ) …

    “The best hope I see at the moment is social media so let’s keep talking and thinking of solutions.”

    To be fair, there is much good posted on social media, but in my experience, it can quickly be eroded and be outweighed by the bad. …. Have to say, sadly, that I cannot trust it in any way, shape or form – and DON’T.

    Users of e.g. Facebook can go all over the place on links that range from very positive to ultra-negative. I am on both Facebook and Twitter. One wrong word, and all hell breaks loose, so I don’t believe it has the propensity for solving any problems we currently have in this country. …. People have ‘settings’ … which is a personal preference as to who sees what ( although FB in particular are renowned for not following a subscribers desires ). …… So – what is posted in good faith, can end up anywhere – to be lambasted or ‘liked’ depending on who sees it. …. It is completely chaotic and not conducive to good or faithful interaction. Not by a long stretch. …… and it is also run by an American company, and they do not hesitate to interfere at any given time. …. leaves very much to be desired. … overall.

    ……

    @ Ned …. I did not understand your post, except that it points to conspiracy theories e.g. Jade Helm15.

    Would you care to expand and explain ?

  41. wmmbb

    Here is a challenge. Maybe John will take it up. Or anybody. What are the positive attributes of a national leader and prime minister? Some qualities are must haves, some are desirable. I would suggest as essential attributes such as intellect,vision, compassion, and managerial ability and proven experience. Then once we established that, how can we encourage those gifted people into the job? It is one thing to have human failings; it is another to be a rolling, roiling disaster.

    It worries me that it is said morale among the staff of the Bureau of Meteorology is low. This is clear evidence of both poor leadership and irresponsibility. The BOM is important for agriculture and other economic activities as well as warning us about the social and ecological impacts of climate change.That is just one case and there are others. I could mention Nauru, and the list goes on.

    We should at least learn from this experience, although I fear the costs are going to be very grave.

  42. stephentardrew

    Well Annie one can only live in hope. I won’t let the bastards bring me down. Change can happen pretty quickly given the circumstances so I do think things will eventually change.

    A lot of people avoid Facebook and Twitter because of the loads of garbage and abusive attitudes. I am one of them. Have recently returned to Facebook but my patience wears thin.

    Also it all takes time and I have other things to do.

  43. Andreas Bimba

    One of the best things about our 2 party system is that only a small percentage of voters need to switch their vote for the government to change to team B. Lobbyists have however ensured that team B is much the same as team A.

    Voting for the Greens will however increase the chance of the ALP forming the next federal government which will still be better than the appalling Abbott regime.

    I hope the Dick Smith Party and Malcolm Frasers proposed Renew Australia Party can cut into the voter base of the Liberal Party. The DLP may take votes from the National Party at least in Victoria. A few more credible parties for conservative or centre right voters could result in coalitions that can challenge the current domination of the Liberals and Nationals.

    Similarly the Greens and the Australian Progressives can eat into the ALP voter base.

    This slow ‘white anting’ of our corrupt 2 party system may be our best long term hope with an ALP Greens coalition being the best short term hope.

  44. Annie B

    I do agree stephent …. change inevitably happens. … has for eons, and will continue.

    So – there will be a change – and can only be for the better. … ( couldn’t be much worse, could it ).

    Hope always reigns supreme ( or should ) ……. so I am with you on that.

    Cheers – 🙂

  45. Trish Corry

    I think the leaker may be someone we don’t expect. Possibly a fixer who might have a nice surprise for Tony.

  46. iggy648

    If we coordinate with the UK, we could organise to revoke both citizenships at the same time. We could see hundreds of terrorists (and Tony when Richard Marles becomes Minister for Immigration) harmlessly wandering around Changi airport forever!

  47. David

    @andreas…interesting theories but outcome in whose lifetime 🙂

  48. Keith

    After the leadership spill in February, we were promised good government. A couple of days later we were experiencing the same rubbish that had brought about the spill. It is more a time of when, rather than if, the leadership matter will occur again. The Liberals can try to push the argument that everything is stable within their ranks; but, who is going to believe them?

    Rather than govern with any degree of finesse; we see decisions made from an ideological standpoint by the LNP; the question is when do we go into a recession? The recession we didn’t need to have.

  49. Sam

    You see the thing is, while I most definitely see and agree with the problems of the ALP, I happen to be in an electorate where the margin between the 2 parties(at least federally) is so thin that any decent movement towards an independent or minor party could see the Liberals turn this seat into a safe one. I mean realistically speaking most of the call for change will come from the more open minded(ie not those from the right wing)and cut into Labor’s vote and sadly reward the Coalition.

    Thankfully our Labor candidate (and most recent former member) is actually a decent man and a damn good politician that just happens to be in a party that is flawed as it stands at the moment. Hopefully he can be a catalyst for change from within Labor.

  50. crypt0

    Now this is something of a guessing game … first eliminate most of them because I suspect they are scared of him … as Steve Laing pointed out, it is too damaging to Tony, so that (I think) lets him off the hook.
    My best guess is ScoMo, leader of the LNP in waiting … perhaps he grows impatient.
    Whatever, whoever leaked either has a phenomenal memory, or possibly a concealable recording device.
    With friends like these …

  51. Sam

    I should have added on to my last comment, it never ceases to amuse me the Liberal voters whose faith in Abbott remains unshaken and automatically assume he’ll win easily and they firmly believe that Labor’s only shot at winning is if the government replaces Abbott as leader, causing instability in the government which could end up reflecting badly on the party.

    How can even the most deluded right winger not see how much damage he’s doing to their party?

  52. corvus boreus

    wmmbb,
    For me(as a start);
    An ability to articulate policy and intent in language that is not divisive, hyperbolic, inaccurate or meaningless.
    A clear and real commitment to upholding ethical behavior, particularly measures of transparency and accountability.
    A willingness to acknowledge and consider suggestion that comes from outside one’s own political/ideological alignment.
    A respect for the input of the people with highest qualification in their respective fields, especially the sciences.
    A clear commitment to the values of secular democracy.
    A genuine commitment to public engagement with the citizenry at every available opportunity.

    In short, not a sledging, shifty, myopic, anti-scientific zealot who won’t even front Q&A .

  53. Andreas Bimba

    @ David
    If everyone votes Greens next federal election, all is fixed very quickly. The US might vote for Bernie Sanders as the next US President so politics can move quickly. Why not here?

    @ Sam
    The right needs to be swamped with alternative but hopefully rational parties to weaken the Liberals and Nationals. New centre left and centre parties can still preference Labor or form coalitions with them. Just voting for the Liberals, Nationals or Labor won’t shake us from our current stupid neoliberal plutocratic path.

  54. Patricia

    The first person who should have his Australian citizenship taken from him is Tony Abbott as he is a clear and present danger to all Australians civil rights and freedoms. Based on the LNP’s definition of a person who is dangerous to Australia and Australians Tony Abbott fits the bill to a tee. Cancel his Australian citizenship and ship him back to England as it would appear that he may still hold British citizenship so he would not be stateless, unlike some people to whom he wants to deny citizenship.

  55. wmmbb

    Thanks Cb. I suppose each party should pick the best available person, with the understanding that person will attract electoral support. The presence of ideological barriers to concern with the overall good is significant. I hesitate to attribute the reason,but I would want to be convinced it special interests operating in the background. I hope, if this were true, this concern would be shared across partisan divides. Specifically, with reference to climate change opposition is based in an ideologically driven minority, among who Mr Abbott has chosen to draw political advisers. The tendency toward group think is perhaps more a problem with a presidential executive than a prime minister. However, this is just another example of the poor judgement that Mr Abbott brings to his responsibilities.

  56. lawrencewinder

    The talent pool of the Ruling Rabble is a horror waiting to occur… and as MB says, even “The Coots-With-Queer-Ideas-From-a-Parallel-Universe” (IPA) are unhappy….. mainly because their agenda is being stifled by the incompetents they put in charge.
    If Rabid-the-Hun has his Ides of March moment then the bloodletting by these mongrels will make the Gillard-Rudd stoush look like the Teddy Bear’s Picnic.
    And Mandy “Il Patrone” Vanstone? Ask Cornelia Rau et al, about that piece of work.

  57. Pingback: Abbott’s Leadership back on the Agenda | THE VIEW FROM MY GARDEN

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