Miserable Mal, the talkative Trappist, has yet another go at blowing up the government

The ‘ghostly’ presence that is former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Picture: AAP

Let the people decide. Malcolm Turnbull tweets, December 2:

Today I learned there was a move 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. It is time for the Liberal Party members in Hughes to have their say … I am strongly of the view that the normal democratic process should proceed … especially after such a long debate in the NSW Liberal Party about the importance of grassroots membership involvement.

Let Mal’s mates decide. Anne Dav­ies, Guardian Australia, February 10:

The NSW Liberal party has … rejected (Tony Abbott’s) Warringah motion … to give all party members a vote in preselections in their local electorate … (He said the Bennelong motion that got up) was a “rearguard action by factional warlords” that would … “put off real democracy” … Turnbull and NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian … supported the Bennelong alternative.

Destabilise? Bevan Shields,The Sydney Morning Herald,December 3:

Malcolm Turnbull has told Prime Minister Scott Morrison to call a poll for early March to prevent NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian’s re-election bid being destroyed by the chaos in Canberra … (He did not deny he said) Mr Morrison is only interested “in keeping his arse in C1” — a reference to the prime ministerial limousine … Turnbull said (he went) public because conversations he had … on Sunday were leaked … (and) said demands he be a “Trappist monk” were unreasonable … (He) said his intervention was based on principle and not payback for Mr Kelly’s role in the demise of the National Energy Guarantee … Asked … (if) his public statements would be seen … as an attempt to destablise the government, Mr Turnbull said: “That is what I have described as attribution bias. That is blaming other people for the consequences of your own actions.”

All alone ... Craig Kelly in the House of Representatives yesterday. Picture: Gary Ramage

Destabilise. Sky News, December 3:

Nationals senator John “Wacka” Williams: The instability in the Liberal Party is … helping Bill Shorten get a free ride to the Lodge.

Attribution bias? Who was to blame for this? Parliament of Australia, federal election, 2016:

(Under Turnbull, the Coalition suffered a) two-party preferred swing of 3.1 per cent … (and lost) 14 seats … (holding) on to government by the slimmest of margins.

Trappist? Turnbull speech, leaked to the Nine Network, September 28:

There is no way I would be hanging around like a lipid Kevin Rudd or Tony Abbott — seriously, these people are like sort of miserable, miserable ghosts … I’m not going to become a Trappist monk … there was an ele­ment of the party and the media that wanted to blow the government up … And of course, they did.

Turnbull corrects the record, tweeting on October 1:

I hate to spoil a good lipid or limpet (or lipidinous limpet) story — but the adjective mistaken for, variously, an indissoluble fat or a tenacious sea slug is “embittered.” I guess an iPhone at 50 paces is not an ideal recording device!

Who’s a miserable ghost? Kevin Rudd tweets, October 1:

Dear Malcolm. A quick reality check on “miserable ghosts” … having told the world you’ve left politics behind, you seem to be in the media every day talking about it.

Wishful thinking. Scott Morrison Nine News, October 1:

I’ll leave all the ghosts in the past. That’s where ghosts best remain.