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What Can the Prime Muppet Do?

For Scott Morrison and his Muppet Coalition Government, time is fast approaching the nervy end of an election cycle. So far, he has given us every indication that the next federal election will be held on Saturday 18th May 2019, the latest possible date he can leave it, but will he wait that long?

The result of the Wagga Wagga state by-election on Saturday was a disaster for the state liberal government and suggests a rough ride is in store for both state and federal members across New South Wales.

With that in mind, a number of questions will be running through the brains trust of the Liberal party machine right now. Would it be better to go early? Do they want their campaign to be riding through the dusty, unpredictable trail of the NSW state election in March?

Can they minimize the ongoing fallout from dumping the best leader they had, electorally speaking? Can they appear united? Have they a believable policy structure? Have they enough money to mount a competitive campaign? Do they have any quality candidates?

Looking at things from the outside, the answers to all those questions would appear to be a resounding, no! And the longer they wait, the fewer options they have. The Victorian State election to be held in late November is another hurdle to straddle.

Then comes Christmas, followed by the January holidays and the beginning of the school year. These are all periods where attracting the attention of the electorate is very difficult. There’s just too much going on.

Yet, that might be Morrison’s plan. The more the distraction, the less attention paid to important issues, the better their chances of not looking like idiots. Can Bill Shorten and Labor cut through those distractions and convince voters he, and Labor, are ready? In all likelihood, he may not have to.

After five years, we must wonder what Morrison has to sell that’s worth buying? Not much! Actually…….no, nothing. They have bluffed and lied their way through the most dysfunctional performance of this, or any previous conservative government.

Their internal bloodletting has been on public view ever since Malcolm Turnbull succeeded Tony Abbott as PM. Actually, it’s much longer than that.

So what can Morrison, the self-described muppet leader do? Current polling indicates his muppet coalition will lose government in a landslide. But, if he waited until May, could he reverse that?

Could he get some lipstick on his pigs?

One would have thought that trying to be heard across a minefield of distractions would be difficult enough. Expecting to come up with some jaw-dropping, knockout initiatives and reverse current polling trends, might just be a bridge too far.

And what of Morrison’s own legacy? The thought of lasting even less time as PM than Tony Abbott must be haunting him at the moment. Would he want to continue his parliamentary career as Opposition leader? One suspects he would. And he might also be thinking, the sooner the better.

Morrison’s best chance is to go before the end of 2018. Firstly, he can salvage some respect by relieving the voters of any more pain. But also, he can quite rightly, blame the loss, not on his leadership, but on the appalling behaviour of his party prior to him becoming PM.

This gives him a launching pad to begin rebuilding the shattered skeleton of a party, that was once a government. Mind you, his own record as treasurer will bring him some pain as Labor restores some of the heartless, unnecessary spending cuts he championed against the easiest of targets, the most vulnerable.

But, perhaps that’s a challenge he might find more appealing, rather than the humiliation that will await him, should he choose to wait until May next year.

Let’s hope so.

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28 comments

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  1. Kronomex

    John, when all is said and done I would rather have The Muppets running the country than having to put up with Prime Feeble Morrison and his crew of Feebles.

  2. john tons

    One good thing is that at least the government has come clean – they are muppets and we know that the muppet master is the IPA – it writes the script that our muppets deliver, albeit without much conviction or understanding. It also explains the reason for Turnbull’s exit – he wandered off script far too often.

  3. Frank Smith

    John, the Muppets have told us ad nauseam over the past two weeks that they are “getting on with job”. There is no evidence whatever that they have the slightest idea what “the job” is.

  4. PeterF

    If the coalition hope to win they should be praying for Murdoch.

  5. nonsibicunctis

    John, I agree with all that you have written.

    I’d observe simply that I doubt ScoMo will look for even one “jaw-dropping, knockout initiative”. Instead, I believe that his strategy is a continuation of what seems to be a hallmark of conservative politics, i.e. deceiving the electorate with what look like and may be portrayed by the predominantly right-wing media as benevolent government action.

    I believe that he has already started his attempt to rehabilitate with the electorate by actions that ‘soften’ some of more aggressive, harmful and callous measures introduced by the appalling leaders of conservative governments since and including Abbott. I’d point to the scrapping of the NEG but retention of the Paris targets, his appointment of an ‘Indigenous Envoy’, his aim to achieve 50% female representation at senior level by 2025, his canvassing the inking of immigration policy with settlement in regional and rural areas and his axing of the continued lifting of the retirement age to 70 years of age.

    No, I am not claiming that all of these are necessarily worthy measures nor that there is necessarily any real substance to them. However, I do think that they will appeal to a wide cross-section of interests in the community and that his smooth and measured approach when making announcements, talking with the media or mingling with the public, engenders a sense of calm and trust that has not been present from LNP leaders since the Party last came to power. That, I think, is in his favour and will convince many that he is sincere and also capable of ending the internal disruption that so annoys, I think, the majority of the electorate.

    Having said that, I don’t believe that, in reality, there is any real desire or intention on his part to move from the narrow nationalistic, parsimonious, wealth orientated and ideologically negative stance that has characterised his past performance and the performance. of conservative governments, at least since the illegal dismissal of Whitlam and installation of Malcolm Fraser. For that reason, I sincerely hope that the LNP and the extreme right independents are soundly thrashed at the next election.

    Unfortunately, being in my seventies I have seen how fickle and naive the average voter can be. They are not, by and large, the ‘smart’ and ‘intelligent’ and ‘informed’ individuals that the politicians are so fond of telling us. In reality, they very often vote against their own interests, even when any reasonably informed and rational analysis would show that voting that way would produce such a result.

    I can only hope that the electorate prove me wrong at the next election but with the increased concentration of media ownership and influence of people such as Murdoch, as well as the ever more self-centred, materialistic and wealth chasing ethos that now seems to define ‘success’ in our society, I find it hard, even now, to feel any certainty that the electorate won’t be deceived once more and give Morrison the benefit of the doubt by succumbing to the false notion that he just inherited the mess and was not party to causing it and that, as a new Prime Minister, ‘it’s only fair’ that he be given time to prove his worth.

  6. diannaart

    nonsibicunctis

    …give Morrison the benefit of the doubt by succumbing to the false notion that he just inherited the mess and was not party to causing it and that, as a new Prime Minister, ‘it’s only fair’ that he be given time to prove his worth.

    I have no doubt the “give Morrison a fair go” line will be trotted out, when opportune, with the “have a go, you’ll get a go” nonsense. This tactic to be used to delay calling an election as late as possible.

    The result being Australia remains in stasis.

  7. helvityni

    …well, we (not me) gave Tones a go, we (me too) gave Mal a go, now we have to give Scomo a turn…who next?

    At least we did not waste any time with Julie, we leave women to Labor and the Greens to worry about….

  8. DrakeN

    Muppet Government??
    Please!
    The Muppet show displayed the wit and intelligence of its writers and performers.
    This mob in control can’t ever construct a ‘message’, let alone get one across.

    Very unfair to Muppets,John.

  9. LInda

    Prime Muppet Morrison knew exxxactly what he was doing in the spill, and executed it perfectly. How many PM’s has he secretly knifed and said…hey, not me!!!

  10. New England Cocky

    “After five years, we must wonder what Morrison has to sell that’s worth buying? Not much! Actually…….no, nothing. ”

    And that goes for the whole damn lot of them!!!

    Morriscum:

    “solved” the national debt crisis that was NOT there by doubling the national debt for the befit of foreign owned multinational bankers;
    jailed kids on Manus and Nauru without proper medical facilities and without judicial oversight just because they were LEGAL refugees;
    held out on the Baking Royal Commission … nothing to see here (much!!!);
    stabbed Turdball in the back while smiling sweetly for the cameras.

    All the good things you would expect from a Sunday mourning Christian having CIA assistance to become Prim Monster.

  11. John O'Callaghan

    Morrie The Messiah wants to lead his flock to the promised land,but he and his followers will wander the desert for the next 40 years!

  12. Ross in Gippsland

    It took the mainstream media over two and a half years of very hard graft to get the coalition to within striking distance of Labor, and that was with Malcolm the Magnificent as PM. But then with less than nine months before an election must be held those Liberal Party muppets held a gun to their own heads and promptly pulled the trigger.
    This Coalition governments chances of re-election are now looking somewhat grim and coalition politicians on margins of less than 15% must be frantically looking around for new, lifestyle opportunities.

  13. Stephengb

    I do not believe for one minute that the current LNP MPs will want an early election, almost each and every one of them is wedded to the ideal that their position is ordained either by their God or by their elite place in society. Every one of them believe in teir heart of heart that have an overwhelming right to be the rulers of the realm, simply because it is their Right. Every one of them are motivated by money and power, nothing else.
    The LNP MP and supporters believe in the individual, they will resist any common sense to recover some reminant of the Party respect, because to do so will be an admission of failure, they would rather lose at the last moment to save their individual face.

    And finally they as each individual will hang till death, just to keep getting their money and allowance, they are after all driven by their own individual desire for money and the power that that represents.

    I suspect that almost to a man, they are already touting for that sincere position in preparation for being defeated.

    I expect to see a marked increase in travel and other means of increasing their claims for the generous allowances they have secured for themselves.

  14. MikeW

    C’mon be fair to Scott he’s come up with two ideas. Kill Bill and climb a mountain.

  15. Helen Holmes

    So far he has done ‘wonderful’ things like officially drop the NEG, the pension age rise to 70, and the tax cut for big business – all things that he knew wouldn’t get voted through and/or were useless policies anyway!!!

  16. Christina Heath

    “a number of questions will be running through the brains trust of the Liberal party machine right now.”
    And therein lies the problem. The brains trust and the Liberal party is an oxymoron.

  17. David Stakes

    I think you can lock in Saturday the 18thMay 2019. self preservation and the hope of a divine miracle giving salvation.

  18. GREGORY GANGE

    “……… The more the distraction, the less attention paid to important issues, the better their chances of not looking like idiots. Can Bill Shorten and Labor cut through those distractions and convince voters he, and Labor, are ready? In all likelihood, he may not have to……”
    If Australia is to get a decent Government, they HAVE TO.
    Billy Shortarse has been the second choice PM since forever.
    He HAS to stop playing decent politics, grab moronscum and his dickhead mates by the testicles, and show Austraia, and the rest of the world, that HE is the PM we need, Right Here, Right Now.
    The lbp have been “Blaming Labor” for everything and sundry since the day the mad monk was elected, and look at the hole we are in now.
    Shit economy, no jobs, housing, petrol and energy prices out of control, etc etc etc, and NO PLAN.
    Come on Bill. Stand up, and tell us what you are good for.
    For once.

  19. wam

    If shorten gives scomo a go so will the electorate if shorten goes for scomo as temporary caretaker using his quote ‘where do we go from here’.or the translation I am the leader where do you want to go’ and the hypocrisy of his dropping directions to move forward under his strong christian going forward leadership and that is in the hand of the workers who had no idea of the economic success of labor and who were conned by the rabbott over the debt and boats.
    Has the rabbott’s slogans run their course? Immigration, any votes?? Jobs any votes? Climate change, any votes??
    Heard of scomo’s AAA? Any thoughts on sweden’s election or trump’s marvellous words extolling his successes??
    Any thought on the relocation of fox news to 103? Any increase on the facebook sharing of fox news?
    little billy lingers the beaconsfield bill long forgotten. Torpid tanya potters with a times up slogan but her time is now or never.
    Polls are dangerous when information is instantaneously shared and redress is not as quick

  20. Patagonian

    Just watched the Prime Mormon on 7.30 Report. It was hard to hold my dinner down. Is this seriously the best the Libs can do? No wonder they’re terrified of quotas. Most of the blokes would be out on their ears.

  21. Sean Crawley

    Very disappointed with Leigh Sales’ interview. There were some opportunities there that were completely missed. Has she been hamstrung by a gutless ABC?

  22. MöbiusEcko

    Sean Crawley @ 6:55 am

    If you follow Twitter #auspol, #abc730, #730report and other hashtags that follow the Australian MSM political circus you will find that Sales has a history of overtly favouring Liberal politicians whilst being aggresive towards Labor in interviews.

    This might be dismissed as unfair bias by the left towards Sales, but having watched 730 for a while now I believe there’s truth in the assertion that in interviews she treats Liberals more favourably than Labor.

  23. helvityni

    Yes, ME, they usually get the smiles too….the Libs, I mean…

  24. Kronomex

    I don’t even know, and couldn’t care less, half the words for the cretinous anthem. So they can vomit their bile in my direction when I say, “I wouldn’t stand up either!”

    https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/school-life/queensland-schoolgirl-threatened-with-suspension-after-refusing-to-stand-for-national-anthem/news-story/33a07500c2cbf17d765af7da742c5dfc

    Effing jingoistic, nationalist arseholes! Loathsome Latham at his vilest. Jones should keep his unelected spokesman for the nation shit to himself. It will be interesting to see/hear what the fascists in Canberra have to say.

  25. Kaye Lee

    Kronomex,

    “We used to have special schools for children with behaviour problems,” Mr Latham said on the 4BC radio show. “Not standing is a behavioural problem, so kick her out.”

    When I was little, they used to play God Save the Queen at the pictures and everyone would stand. My mother refused to. That was over 50 years ago and she was a primary school teacher.

  26. Kronomex

    It’s not often I blow up like I did in my previous post, but when creatures like Loathsome and Jerkoff started spewing their, dare I say, hatred at a child for doing what she did (and I applaud her for her stand) I saw black.

  27. Ann T Corruption

    Kaye Lee and Kronomex,

    Just thinking, not only “ God save the Queen”, but “catch a Nigger by the toe, if he holler”s..” and “in the bosom of Abraham”.
    My, how we were brainwashed at such a vulnerable age.

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