Barilaro a tool of Turnbull-haters
TURNBULL has survived many prophecies of his demise. Barilaro’s was simply another damp squib, writes Miranda Devine.
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INSTEAD of putting the acid on Shanghai Sam Dastyari last week, Turnbull-haters made themselves the story by enlisting NSW Nationals leader John Barilaro to fuel their sagging insurgency.
On the eve of two crucial by-elections, Alan Jones invited Barilaro onto his influential talkback show on radio 2GB Friday to call for the ousting of the Prime Minister.
“Turnbull is the problem,” said Barilaro. “My view is Turnbull should give … a Christmas gift and go before Christmas,” he said.
This was not some random outburst by the little-known deputy Premier. He owes his job to Jones, and Jones wants Tony Abbott back as PM, maybe more than Abbott himself does.
Having failed to cajole or bully the Liberal party room to do their bidding, Jones and his fellow media insurgents now are desperately roping in any old patsy to try to destroy the government before Christmas.
Turnbull brushed off the remarks with the observation that Barilaro was just “trying to ingratiate himself with Alan”.
Ain’t that the truth.
Jones backed Barilaro as NSW Nationals leader after his predecessor Troy Grant paid the price last year for the Baird government’s greyhound ban with a stunning by-election loss of the previously safe seat of Orange to the Shooters Farmers and Fishers Party.
This was despite the fact Barilaro was up to his neck in the greyhounds decision, sending text messages to his then-leader Grant encouraging him to sack dissident Nationals who crossed the floor in protest at the ban.
In return for his compliance, Jones gives Barilaro a free pass for such atrocities of the NSW government as the container deposit tax which will cost Jones’ listeners an extra $4 on every case of beer.
Jones had nothing but lavish praise when he introduced Barilaro on Friday: “I think this bloke is the outstanding National Party figure in the country, bar none. He’s simply in touch. He just listens. He’s a fair dinkum straight down the line bloke … Doesn’t take his cue from bureaucrats. He takes his cue from the electorate”. And from Jones, it seems.
Barilaro’s intervention was so bizarre and unexpected that “WTF” was the first reaction of federal Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce, on his last day of campaigning for his seat of New England.
But Turnbull has survived so many confident prophecies of his imminent demise that in the end, Barilaro’s intervention collapsed like another damp squib.
It may be a case of what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.