There is overflowing evidence that Malcolm Turnbull is an out and out hypocrite. Since smooching his way to the prime ministership we have watched him backflip on every issue he once stood for and we can only take wild guesses at what he might stand for tomorrow. One has the uneasy feeling that he stands for, unremarkably, whatever the extreme right-wing of his party fancy.
Over the next couple of weeks I expect he will take hypocrisy to a profoundly higher level.
Appalled at Labor’s indication they would block his plebiscite, earlier this week he accused them of ‘not wanting to consult Australians on same-sex marriage’:
“So if Labor is seriously saying that, they are saying, ‘Don’t consult the Australian people because they won’t give you the answer you want.’”
The PM said he was confident same-sex marriage would be introduced, reiterating that he and his wife Lucy would vote in favour of the legislation.
“The fastest way, the way to guarantee that there is a vote in the Parliament on gay marriage in this Parliament, is to support the plebiscite,” he said.
(I didn’t know his wife could vote in favour of the legislation, but that’s another story).
Given that 57% of Australians support same-sex marriage it appears, on the surface, that Malcolm Turnbull is siding here with the electorate and signals his intention that he will stand and deliver.
There was Malcolm, a self-declared champion for the people.
And now that “the Federal Opposition has announced it is preparing to move a motion to bring on a bill to legalise same-sex marriage in two weeks” he has his chance to prove it.
And given that it was also announced that . . .
Adam Bandt, Andrew Wilkie and Cathy McGowan . . . too are introducing a “marriage equality bill”.
Mr Bandt says they will introduce a crossparty bill on the issue and are seeking support from Labor.
Ms McGowan says “it’s a wonderful thing” that Labor plans to table a bill, but they need the support of the Coalition.
. . . he really has no better opportunity. The people come first. He has been busy condemning Labor for not honouring that.
But if Malcolm Turnbull has truly listened to the electorate he too will support the bill. If he is ‘owned’ by the extreme right of the party, he will not. In which case he has lied.
Yes, it’s all hypothetical at this point, but my guess is he’ll take hypocrisy to an even higher level. The wishes of the party will remain supreme.
I’ll be watching.
