Tony Abbot, the ‘mad monk’, ‘Captain Catholic’, the man who during the last elections verbally attacked asbestos cancer campaigner while he lay on his death bed, is to replace Malcolm Turnbull as leader of Liberal Party. His one vote coup managed on the back of a double sided fear, the fear of what any ETS scheme would do to business (this despite having negotiated all the amendments they had demanded) and secondly of making K-Rudd look good in Copenhagen.
Interestingly the vote was brought about on the grounds that Turnbull was ignoring the party’s voice. The party voted last Monday by 8 votes to pass the ETS and vote with the government. So who exactly was ignoring the voice of the party? What was clear however was that the Liberal Party today is a fractured, dysfunctional party. It is being held hostage by the ideological right; the same group that was decimated in the last election. A group that is so sure that it is right, it ignores public opinion and prior commitments in order to prevail.
A vote against the ETS in the senate will allow K-Rudd to call for a double dissolution in early 2010. The Liberals can try all they like to look united under a man who is largely considered unelectable, even within the party. Their “street-cred”, much like their leader’s, will be zero. The Liberals are staring into an abyss of 10- 15 years in opposition if they are decimated in the election and Labour gain control of both houses.
Credibility was a trademark of Turnbull, whether you liked him or not. He gained “street-cred” with the Republican campaign and I believe he will have gained even more over his stand on climate change. A stand he first made as Minister for the Environment. Unfortunately , people will say he joined the wrong party. I would argue his party was hi-jacked.
It won’t take much for Labour to capitalise on Abbott, who usually finds that if he put another foot in his mouth he wouldn’t have a leg to stand on. Abbott will not be able to rehabilitate himself in the eyes of the public, without doing another 180 degree turn in stated policy. I would argue that words that come out of Tony Abbott’s mouth are totally meaningless.
One group that will benefit from today’s vote is Stand-up comedians. At least we can then get a laugh out of it too!
2 comments:
The 'Mad Monk' Captain Catholic; is actually less religious than Rudd and less likely to push his religious views then Rudd. Its the media bias that lets Rudd get away with this.
In any case it is pretty clear now that the need to push an ETS through so fast was because it would be much harder after Copenhagen. Rudd knew this and so lied about the reasons.
The Government had a chance to go for a double dissolution election but didn't take the opportunity because they would have to have the ETS as the election issue - and they know that would damaging for them.
You say that words coming out of Abbott's mouth are meaningless. Yet it's Rudd that can't be trusted by trying to be everything to everybody he ends up being an untrustworthy chameleon. Abbott on the other hand seems pretty honest and acknowledges is mistakes in a way that actually charms female voters - contrary to media hype that he has lost the womens vote - apparently an urban myth.
http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/its-hard-to-stay-pure-with-the-mad-monk-20091205-kb9h.html
http://www.theage.com.au/national/abbott-and-women-no-problem-20091204-kb2m.html
I think you will be surprised to see this all working to his advantage and Rudd's disadvantage.
Latest Polls:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/rudd-hits-a-new-low-newspoll/story-e6frg6n6-1225830688059
I told you so...nah nah nah nah nah
Post a Comment