Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership denials have the faint whiff of Kevin Rudd about them
MALCOLM Turnbull’s denials that he wanted to take Tony Abbott’s job have the faint whiff of Kevin Rudd about them.
National
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I SUPPORT the leader. I am happy in my role. My chances of being leader again are minuscule.
These are the points Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been at pains to stress over the past week since his clandestine dinner with Clive Palmer created a political firestorm.
He may be being completely honest — but the words have a definite ring to them that recalls another famously dumped leader. One Kevin Rudd.
Mr Turnbull, who was the Liberal leader in 2008 and 2009, has been at the centre of speculation this week after photographers sprang him leaving a Canberra restaurant with the Palmer United Party leader.
He has attempted to quash suggestions that he is after Tony Abbott’s job by appearing on Alan Jones’ radio program and submitting to an interview on the ABC’s current affairs flagship 7.30.
But, in the process, he’s managed to further stoke suspicions that he’s after the prime ministership.
Call us cynical, but politicians have form on this. Every denial and deflection Mr Turnbull attempts only serves to remind us of Mr Rudd’s underhanded leadership campaign of 2012 and 2013.
Here’s a rundown of how Mr Turnbull’s comments compare to Mr Rudd’s.
I DON’T WANT TO BE LEADER
Mr Turnbull appeared on 7.30 last night to kill off rumours that he wanted to take over the prime ministership — but he wasn’t entirely successful.
Responding to a question from host Sarah Ferguson, Mr Turnbull said “I don’t have any plans, any desires, any expectations to be the leader”.
But he didn’t stop there.
“Having said that … politics is an unpredictable business. I don’t think there is any member of the House of Representatives who, if, in the right circumstances, would not take on that responsibility.
“My prospects are somewhere between nil and negligible.”
Rudd was also fond of saying this.
In February 2013, when asked about whether he would move to oust Julia Gillard from the prime ministership, he said reporters should take a cold shower. As questions persisted, he said reporters should take ice baths, then try cryogenic storage.
Rudd also tended to hedge his bets when answering the all-important leadership question.
After a failed leadership tilt in March of 2013, Rudd said: “There are no circumstances under which I will return to the leadership of the Australian Labor Party in the future.”
By June, he gave himself more wriggle room, saying “I don’t believe there are any circumstances in which that will occur”. Five days later, he had successfully wrested back the leadership from Gillard.
RELATED: Tony Abbott brushes off suggestions of a leadership challenge from Malcolm Turnbull
I AM HAPPY IN MY ROLE
Mr Turnbull told 7.30 last night that he was a happy little Vegemite in his communications portfolio.
“I am very, very happy doing what I’m doing,” he said. “I have a really exciting job being the Communications Minister. We’ve got to just keep our heads down and work hard, we’ve got a leader who is doing a great job and get on with it.”
But Ruddy loved making this point too.
Take this from November 3, 2011. “As I’ve said a thousand times before, I’m very, very happy being the Foreign Minister of Australia,” he insisted through gritted teeth.
I’M JUST OUT AND ABOUT SUPPORTING THE GOVERNMENT
What’s the best way to kill leadership speculation? Well, for a start, don’t appear on some of the most politically influential programs in the country — such as Alan Jones and 7.30.
Mr Turnbull has stepped up his public appearances right when Tony Abbott is out of the country. (The PM is in France to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day.)
Mr Turnbull says he’s out promoting the government’s tough budget — but his high-profile appearances in and of themselves are enough to keep the leadership speculation alive.
Kevin Rudd knew this well. He had a habit of popping up for cuddly media appearances right when Julia Gillard was at her most vulnerable.
As The Monthly pointed out, in a single week in November of 2012, Rudd, then a backbencher, was interviewed on Sky News Agenda from Shanghai, appeared as a panellist on Channel Ten’s The Project, gave his expert opinion to Radio National about China and Channel Nine about the US election, smiled for the cameras at the Melbourne Cup, and sat down to chat with Neil Mitchell on 3AW.
In June of 2013, when the Labor leadership crisis reached its peak, Rudd was forever popping up on TV. For instance, he received blanket coverage for his seemingly benevolent sleep-out for homelessness that month.
The whole time he maintained he was simply supporting the work of the government. And we all know how that turned out.
Do you think Malcolm Turnbull wants to to lead the country? Comment below or join the conversation on Twitter @newscomauHQ.
Originally published as Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership denials have the faint whiff of Kevin Rudd about them
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