Will you come into my parlour game if you’re Pyne-ing to GetUp to the winners’ circle?
Stop the parlour games in Canberra. ABC AM September 10:
Sabra Lane: The Wagga Wagga, NSW, state by-election on the weekend. It was a blue-ribbon Liberal seat for more than 60 years … (It has been lost) … Are there lessons from it?
Christopher Pyne: There’s definitely lessons from it. There have been far too many people here in Canberra playing parlour games with politics for the last 10 years … Since the 11 years of stability in the Howard government, we’ve had five prime ministers and the Wagga by-election was a very clear message to politicians: Stop playing games in Canberra and focus on us.
Does he mean this parlour game? Matt Smith and Paul Starick, Adelaide’s The Advertiser, August 24:
Mr Turnbull and … key lieutenant … Christopher Pyne attempted to wrong-foot opponents and called … a spill … Mr Dutton … put up his hand … and found himself with the support of 35 of his colleagues … Mr Turnbull’s leadership was declared terminal … But the Turnbull camp would not go quietly … It hatched a plan to demand 43 signatures before calling another meeting … Mr Pyne also drew attention to legal advice which cast doubt over Mr Dutton’s eligibility to … sit in parliament … Scott Morrison then declared he would run … (and) Mr Pyne became the emissary between Mr Morrison and Mr Turnbull … (The) stop-Dutton campaign was transferring its support to Mr Morrison … Mr Pyne shuttled between the Prime Minister’s and Treasurer’s office … a key role was calming Mr Turnbull and defusing any conspiratorial thoughts about Mr Morrison having engineered a byzantine takeover.
Or this parlour game? Joe Kelly, The Australian, November 1 last year:
South Australian Liberals are pushing for an investigation into … allegations senior Turnbull government minister Christopher Pyne asked Wattle Range mayor Peter Gandolfi to run as an independent against (Tony) Pasin, a conservative, who was the preselected Liberal candidate.
This parlour game? Jackson Stiles, The New Daily, October 29 last year:
Christopher Pyne … (admitted) seeking the help of GetUp to protect … Malcolm Turnbull from a leadership challenge from Tony Abbott … “In the 2009 leadership contest I supported Malcolm Turnbull … and encouraged all those around me to do the same, including … GetUp,” he said offering … a list of undecided MPs to lobby.
Or this one? Secret recording made public June 26 last year:
Christopher Pyne: Two years ago … Malcolm Turnbull was the communications minister and now he’s the prime minister … And most of your senior cabinet ministers, George Brandis, Marise Payne, yours truly … are very senior ministers in a Turnbull government. Now there was a time when people said it wouldn’t happen. But George and I … voted for Malcolm Turnbull in every ballot he’s ever been in … We are in the winner’s circle, friends, we are in the winner’s circle but we have to deliver … marriage equality … your friends in Canberra are working on that outcome.
Maybe, but what about Megabucks Maguire’s parlour games in Country Garden? Lisa Visentin, The Sydney Morning Herald, July 16:
Disgraced Wagga Wagga MP Daryl Maguire has refused to quit NSW politics (clinging on to his salary of $165,000 a year after) … ICAC played tapped phone conversations he had … (boasting) about his “mega client”, Chinese property developer Country Garden … (which) might put him on retainer and pay him a “couple of grand a day”.