Claims Liberals are veering to the left and right at the same time

The state Liberal Party have been accused of being all over the road with their election candidates by veering too far left by right wing politicians and too right by the left.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff at Hadley's Orient Hotel, Hobart Picture: Chris Kidd

The state Liberal Party has been accused of veering too far to the right by the left wing of politics — and too far to the left by the right.

Former member turned independent MP John Tucker lashed the party as a “left wing cabal” on Tuesday.

Rejecting claims he had sought to rejoin the Liberals, Mr Tucker said his former party was imploding.

“The Tasmanian Liberals have been hijacked by an unrepresentative left wing cabal intent on pursuing policies that better belong in the Greens Party room,” he said.

Independent MP John Tucker.

“The Liberal base has had a gutful and the Premier and his minions are now terrified by both the Abetz insurrection internally and the external threat presented by the National Party, with increasing speculation that the Nationals are coming.

“Liberals are leaving the ship in droves.

“The Northeast branch walked en masse, and my phone is running hot with calls from Liberals telling me they will not renew their membership and are looking for an alternative.

“It is no wonder the Premier is desperate to avoid an election because he knows that despite the problems in the Labor Party he simply cannot and will not win.”

At the same time, Labor has been claiming the Liberals were being taken over by the right.

“After 10 years in government, moderate Liberal viewpoints championed by Premier’s Hodgman, Gutwein and Rockliff are looking like being kicked to the kerb as the right take over,” MP Josh Willie said.

Josh Willie MLC at Wilkinsons Point. Picture: Chris Kidd

Labor has highlighted the ascendancy of “hard right powerbroker” Eric Abetz, saying he is in “the same hard right clique” as Deputy Leader Michael Ferguson, Guy Barnett, Felix Ellis and Simon Behrakis who is a former staffer for Mr Abetz.

The party has also claimed conservatives including former Jacqui Petrusma, Hobart City Councillor Louise Elliot and Clarence Mayor Brendan Blomeley are lining up for a run.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff rejected the suggestion his party was polarising and said the Labor Party was “almost a parody of themselves”.

“Every candidate is an asset to our team,” he said.

“It’s fantastic that our membership have their say. The Labor Party, of course don’t have a say locally.

“They’re driven by unions on the mainland who select their candidates — we work on a democracy and all our candidates are an asset to our team.”

Originally published as Claims Liberals are veering to the left and right at the same time