Well, it’s probably not the time for gloating…
Particularly as we don’t know how the ballot will turn out.
Well yes, the Liberals would have to be insane to stick with Abbott. I agree. But as I said, we don’t know how the ballot will turn out yet.
When Rudd was confronted with the same situation, he chose to stand down before he was voted out. I’m not sure if Abbott will do the same, but I suspect that he won’t. In fact, I suspect that he’s more likely to consider calling a Double Dissolution before the party has a chance to vote.
“See, I told you that I’d stop the votes!”
Note: I only said consider it, I never actually suggested that he’d do it.
Although, one wonders whether we can last the night without a potential terrorist attack leading to a state of emergency being declared, deferring the vote to next week…
Or whenever we’re safe again.
And by “we”, I’m mean Tony and friends. Both with and without benefits.
Certainly, I’m surprised that Margie hasn’t made an appearance. My understanding was that they had an arrangement where she was always happy to appear in public with him, so long as she never had to see him in private ever again.
Anyway, it’s not the time for gloating. With Turnbull in charge, the Liberals will again have a chance of winning the election. Particularly after he sacks Joe Hockey as Treasurer, replacing him with someone who can do more than tell us that mining tax didn’t raise a single dollar in revenue and removing it has taken the brakes off the economy. Seems like a contradiction to me, but what would I know? I still think that removing taxes makes the Budget position worse, not better, so I’m clearly confused about how to balance the books.
When you gloat tomorrow and point out that Abbott is the first Liberal PM actually removed from office by the party room, just remember it’s not all good news. (Ok, before you mention Gorton, remember that the Party room vote was tied and he had the casting vote, so technically he resigned.) When you gloat about Abbott lasting for less time than Rudd, remember this may lead to Labor deciding to replace Shorten, so it’s not all good news…
Well, not for Shorten anyway.
Yes, a few days ago, Abbott celebrated his second anniversary as PM, but I’d give you long odds on him having a third.
Still, I’m sure that we can expect Abbott to be as gracious in defeat, as Peter Dutton was with his apology the other day.
And to think that all this is happening just a week after Abbott’s generous decision to take Syrian refugees and to spend nearly as much on them as he’ll be spending on dropping bombs in their country.
Just goes to show that a week really is a long time in politics.
P.S. Have just had it confirmed! The Nationals will not be joining the Liberals for the vote on the leadership even though that worked so well on the same sex marriage thing…
Live Update…
Rather silly concept, if it’s an update, it’d hardly be something that wasn’t “live”.
In order to ensure that the MP’s offices can be further inundated with messages of support for Mr Abbott as he said in his statement tonight, he’s holding the ballot tonight.
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Time for Shorten to decide if he will put the people or himself first.
Wyatt Roy is backing Turnbull.
It amuses me how many clips the ABC had ready to roll out during this waiting time – so many gaffes.
Looking forward to the rabbits gracious stepping down!
Jeff Kennett slamming Turnbull – extreme egotism, gross disloyalty, never been a team man, very selfish individual, not about country, he wants to get on the record books, personality politics
Abbott even got his own challenge wrong, saying as little as a few hours ago there was no challenge and he won’t play the Canberra silly game.
That’s twice he’s got challenges to himself wrong and every single time he’s got his captain’s pick wrong.
I just heard that Kaye. Who on earth does he think he is?
Abbott has been so bad for Australia that I must admit to a feeling of relief that he might go, even though I know that Turnbull is likely to promote poor policy (He hasn’t managed the NBN very well.) But nobody, nobody, could be as bad for the country as Abbott has been. I don’t care about whether it’s easy/hard to get rid of the Coalition, at least we are saved the idiocy of Abbott and have some chance of getting a better approach.
Margaret McMillan, I am not so sure. Morison or Abetz would be as bad if not worse…
With Labor suck in LibLite mode Shorten may well be able to do a Beazley if the Libs bring in new blood.
We live in interesting times.
I do think this has allot to do with the canning election, as someone knew, they had buckleys of winning with abbott as leader,but I’m known to be wrong sometimes lol,
Turnbull has done himself a favour also. If the party and its hard right faction defeat him, as I think may happen, he will be free to leave parliament and get on with his life while the reactionary rump consigns itself to hell in a hand cart.
I’ve been Emailing Abbott’s office urging him to have a Double Dissolution because it’s we, the electors, who put Abbott into office and it’s we the electors who should decide whether he should stay or go. (Now I know that there’s all types of ‘logical’ inconsistencies in that argument but I am simply repeating the line of reasoning that Abbott et al advanced some little time ago.)
Yes it is Jeff Kennett (not Geoff K as I wrote elsewhere and it is ‘copped’ not ‘coped’, my excuse is the ‘urgency’ of the moment and my lack of typing skills. Next week I am going to try two fingers instead of one.)
I think Kennett’s ‘outpourings’ are not so much in defence of Abbott but a ‘hatred’ of Turnbull.
I’ve been watching The Drum and for the life of me, I can’t understand how David Miles keeps getting a ‘gig’.
Sorry ignore that. The ABC hates Abbott and the inclusion of David Miles demonstrates the depth of their ‘plotting’ because Miles is in the Rebecca Weisser class of stupidity. You can include Rowan Dean and Nick Cater in that category as well.
Sh@t the ABC are devious.
Watching the ‘Avuncular One’ repeating the crap about ‘job creation’ and the like. While it’s hilarious, I hope the Party Room buy it.
If Turnbull gets up Joe is history.
Time for more cigars, but for Joe it’s not a reason for celebration.
Anyone heard from Mark Simkin? What a success he’s been. Surely not back to the hated ABC?
“I’m surprised that Margie hasn’t made an appearance. My understanding was that they had an arrangement where she was always happy to appear in public with him, so long as she never had to see him in private ever again.”
Great line and it explains how the marriage has lasted so long.
Do we really want to get rid of Abbott right now?
Keeping him longer and making those who voted for him suffer even more helps Labors chances at the next election.
Jeff Kennett; Jeff Kennett; This man was so unpopular at the end of his reign. He did the greatest and sleaziest Mini-true Orwellian act of brilliance. He became CEO of Beyond Blue. And yet he caused so much depression during his time in power.What a Cretin.
Matters Not,
I heard Tony personally thanking you for your support. He is possibly too silly to understand. I so agree about the stupidity of the mentioned Drum regulars. I try to be balanced and I ask myself who do I respect that they can have there. John Hewson is ok. Judi Moylan would be good. But it’s hard to come up with a list. Chris Berg is better than the ones you named but only up to a point.
Meanwhile The UBS bank has backed Labors call for a 50% RET,http://reneweconomy.com.au/2015/australias-energiewende-ubs-on-why-50-renewable-target-is-good-76557
Rossleigh, you are prophetic:
Gee Michael, what about my
All accurate apart from the ones I got wrong…
(I’m using the same logic that economists use with that!)
Although I got Rebekah Brookes coming to Australia wrong. I thought that even Rupert Murdoch wouldn’t have the hide to reappoint her in Britain.
LOL.
So did I Kaye but he didn’t specifically thank one son who is currently in New York and the other who is in Ningbo who also sent Emails at my urgings.
I just wanted to ensure that Tony had international support to stand firm.
Re Berg, he’s really clever, for a ‘boy’ and he is really consistent in his arguments. It’s his ‘values’ I disagree with.
Dutton on the ABC at the moment. I think he knows he’s already underwater gasping for breath. Due for a ‘holiday’ I suspect. Manus? Nauru?
Now listening to The Hon Warren Truss MP who runs with the line the coalition agreement is with the PM.
Have to be renegotiated and all that bullshit as though he is in a position of power. Hilarious.
If Abbott wins, Bishop is ‘f@cked’ as well.
Andrews on soon. Will probably recommend ‘counselling’ as a solution. And his wife is available. For a fee of course.
Even if Abbott wins he is now stuck with Hockey, Dutton, Andrews and Abetz. There goes any cabinet reshuffle. the dead wood has rallied around the dead man walking. Sinodinis came out for Turnbull.
Has Pyne come out for anyone yet?
Pyne will line up right behind Turnball.
Andrews on now. Holding a ‘melted’ phone apparently, due to the number of supportive calls. He knows he’s destined for the ‘van’ as well.
Putting the crap on Turnbull big time. Thank god (just joking) that the adults are in charge.
If you listen to his argument it’s all about the ‘politics’, about his and the survival of the party. It’s an appeal to the MPs, the people of Australia don’t get a mention, except incidentally.
As for the Pyne’s ‘coming out’. I think that this might not be the best time. The wife doesn’t want that secret shared.
Yeah, like the Nationals will desert the Coalition. Truss is just stitching up his role as deputy PM.
Erica’s on now. Short. But he’s like that.
Simkin must be shitting razor blades.
Perhaps there’s still time to visit the Governor General? (Not sure about that possibility, but if I suspect that the GG would want to consider his decision and wait until the morning, at least, before deciding. I would.)
No I think the time is right for Pyne. He is very Bipartisan towards gay marriage.
Must admit that the Abbott supporters have been quick off the mark, while Turnbull’s have been somewhat slow. (Not well organised Malcolm). Arthur Sinodinos just on and is well ‘scripted’.
Sure Wyatt Beau Roy came out but that was to be expected given that Abbott beat him round the head when he said that there had been broken promise. Abbott has a think about ‘heads’ and ‘beatings’ or close misses anyway.
Don’t forget Julie Bishop. That is a big one. She will bring votes with her to Turnbull.
Jamie Briggs on Abbott’s side as is Josh Frydenberg. Morrison supposedly in Abbott camp but hasn’t gone public. Nothing from Robb or Brandis yet.
This ‘spill’ is all Labor’s fault. It’s a mantra (Labor’s fault) that’s been ‘road tested’ over many, many years and has been somewhat successful.
And it is! But for different reasons than currently advanced.
Go Tony!
Does the Party Room realise that the demise of Abbott will be a victory for Shorten.
Is Turnbull an example of the ISIL terrorists in Australia? Certainly he’s an ‘enemy within’ and he does travel frequently. And he’s a recent religious convert?
Kate Carnell ! go away and eat a Shiite sandwich,
Gawd, this is fun to watch. The LNP are eating each other alive on national TV! Surely they will continue to self destruct regardless of the leadership vote. Too mant dimwit egos
Arthur Sinodinos on again (a repeat) but remember he’s the one who was in an organisation (Honorary Treasurer, Liberal Party (NSW) 2009-11) that received a substantial donation and also in an organisation that made the same substantial donation while in receipt of $200 000 salary from Australian Water Holdings. And he can’t recall either. Neither the making of the donation nor the receipt of same. as for the $200 000, perhaps it’s just of no consequence? Just an everyday transaction?
Is his surname Sinodinos or Daley? But perhaps it matters not?
I think Turnbull needs more credible friends
Its nice to listen to this every now and then
Tony Abbott Character Slam by Paul Keating
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0_BSI6GrZw”
Let’s not forget that apart from the ‘political elected’ (MPs/Senators) there are those ‘political’ appointees including ‘staffers’ who work long hours to keep the ‘Minister’ out of trouble and on a good day advance his interests (yes ‘his’ was used advisedly because that’s what Abbott’s appointments were all about).
Generally speaking, the staffers work incredibly long hours and, at the more senior levels at least, they do so without complaint. Their ‘future are on the line as well.
Breaking news. Turnbull won. As did Bishop.
An effing disaster.
Turnbull has won!
I just had to stop work for a moment, to quote that paragon of objectivity, Chris Uhlmann. With the cameras on the defeated Abbott, Uhlmann: “We tend to forget that these people are human beings”.
What I find interesting is that Andrews got 30 votes to be the Deputy against Bishop.
Misogyny writ large?
While I get as much of a kick at Ozzie pollies being given a good kicking, the sad thing is the ‘death spiral’ isn’t confined just to Abbott. It’s the whole trajectory of Oz politics over many years, encapsulated in the phrase “Oppositions don’t WIN government. Governments LOSE government”.
So you have one mob in charge (doesn’t matter which) and they’re so mired in incompetence and corruption for so long that they’re on the nose after a few years that the other side finally wins. And then THEY spend the next few years mired in incompetence and corruption so after a few years they’re on the nose and the other side finally wins. And then THEYspend the next few years mired …
… you get the idea.
So we’re always getting the lowest common denominator. Wonder if we’ll ever see the likes of Whitlam and Fraser again?