Anyone who has been on Twitter today would have no doubt seen this tweet from any number of Twitter users:
Electronic graffiti? “@TeddyMercer: The Internet has a long memory RT @marcfennell Well this isn't awkward #libspill http://t.co/p2KaKNPSYC”
— 💧 Vonnie V (@visivoz) February 9, 2015
Did you notice the results: 71-31 in favour of Gillard? (It was actually 31, not 13 as quoted above). Looks fairly safe compared to the 61-39 in today’s vote. And Tony’s decree that he will now get on with the job of governing is certainly in stark contrast to his suggestion to the former Labor Governments as noted in the above tweet. Before, during or following leadership turmoil in the former Labor Governments Tony Abbott was set to pounce with his mandatory call for a new election. Here’s a few of them:
Tony Abbott has demanded a snap election to allow Australian voters to chose their preferred Prime Minister, responding to the Federal Labor leadership crisis.
Speaking at the opening of the Grove fruit juice factory in Warwick this morning, Mr Abbott took aim at the “faceless men” he said were responsible for the ongoing instability within the Labor party.
“What I think the Australian people yearn for right now is a Prime Minister they chose, not a Prime Minister who the faceless men choose,” he said.
“Whatever happens on Monday or next week it will be the faceless men pulling the strings and the only way we can get away from a government based on dodgy back door deals… is to have an election.
“Let the people decide.”
. . .
Tony Abbott says Julia Gillard’s victory in the Labor leadership battle is a stay of execution, rather than a new start for Labor.
Ms Gillard today won the ballot against Kevin Rudd, 71 votes to 31.
Mr Abbott said there were still 31 members of caucus who did not have confidence in Ms Gillard.
“What I think today is likely to be is not so much a new start for this prime minister but merely a stay of execution,” he told reporters in Canberra.
Mr Abbott renewed his call for an early federal election.
“The clear answer from today is that the only way we can get real change is with an election,” he said.
“The prime minister should be chosen by the people – not the faceless men.”
Asked if he would move a no confidence motion against the government, Mr Abbott remained uncommitted.
“I have no confidence in this prime minister,” he replied.
. . .
The independents and Greens have welcomed the end of the Labor’s leadership melee saying the focus can now return to policy, while Tony Abbott renewed calls for an early election.The independents and Greens have welcomed the end of the Labor’s leadership melee saying the focus can now return to policy, while Tony Abbott renewed calls for an early election.
Mr Abbott said: ”We need an election not because I particularly like elections or I particularly want the Australian people to go through the inconvenience … but because I think that the Prime Minister of this country should be chosen by the people and not by the faceless men.
. . .
But wait! There’s more! Even Joe Hockey even got in on the act:
The Labor Party is, yet again, going through another messy leadership round. Australia needs strong, decisive leadership from a government that is united and has a common cause. Julia Gillard should just pull on a leadership battle with Kevin Rudd and have the matter resolved; otherwise it is quite clear that she is going to remain a lame duck leader. Australia deserves better than a lame duck Prime Minister. We deserve strong leadership. We deserve strong direction. Anything Julia Gillard says today is immediately discounted by the electorate.
We need strong and decisive leadership at the moment and we are not going to get that until we have a general election.
If Julia Gillard can’t resolve her problems within the Labor Party, she can either call on a leadership battle with Kevin Rudd or call an election – frankly Australians just want to have a general election, wherever they are.
. . .
I’m reluctant to be a commentator here, but I would think that Kevin Rudd has to do something. It’s kind of ridiculous that he and his supporters are out there backgrounding. It means the Labor Party is focusing on their own jobs rather than the jobs of workers and Australians. I suspect that Kevin Rudd will move sometime in the not too distant future, probably before Queensland and quite frankly if he becomes the leader they’ll dump their pledge to have a surplus and he’ll spend some money and call an election.
Well there you have it. Whenever there was leadership unrest in the former Governments Tony Abbott (and his side-kick) demanded an election. Ironic, isn’t it? And in light of today’s events and subsequent promises one could also say hypocritical.
Let their words come back to haunt them.
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