MEDDLESOME MALCOLM’S MISSION OF MAYHEM

Remember when ex-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull claimed: “I'm not engaged in politics any longer. I'm retired"?

Keep walkin’, pal

Remember when ex-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull claimed: “I'm not engaged in politics any longer. I'm retired"?

Yeah. Right. The retired, non-engaged failure sure is taking it easy these days:

In a stunning intervention, Mr Turnbull hit the airwaves this morning to double down on his call for the Morrison government to go to an election in March.

But the ousted PM doubted Mr Morrison would reverse his plan for a May election, repeating his claims that the current PM was “plainly” determined to “stay in government as long as he possibly can”.

Please. He's not quite down to Turnbull's level, desperately hanging on one day at a time.

Mr Turnbull told ABC radio there were many Liberals in NSW who believe a March 2 federal election would help prevent the Berejiklian government “being hit by the brand damage that arose from the very destructive, pointless, shameful leadership change in Canberra in August”.

It’s all about Malcolm. It will always be all about Malcolm.

The initial intervention came from Mr Turnbull yesterday, who called moderates on the NSW state executive and urged them to defy Prime Minister Morrison’s explicit request to save sitting MP and conservative firebrand Craig Kelly’s preselection for the safe NSW seat of Hughes.

Today I learned there was a move to persuade the State Executive to re-endorse Craig Kelly as Liberal candidate for Hughes in order to avoid a preselection - in other words to deny Liberal Party members in Hughes the opportunity to have their say.

— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) December 2, 2018

Leader of the NSW moderates Matt Kean stared the former PM and Wentworth MP down, telling him they would not play a part in any personal vendetta against the party.

Even moderates are beginning to realise they’re dealing with a liability. Down in Victoria, Mr Free TVs offers his opinion:

Former state opposition leader Matthew Guy warned the Liberal Party is at risk of annihilation at the federal poll.

He said the Liberal brand had been made “toxic” by the leadership mess in Canberra, and compounded by state problems, including a lack of gender and ethnic diversity.

Yep. Those are the big issues, all right.