Turnbull trashes his reputation

Any respect he has will be lost, along with his legacy

Caroline Overington is to be commended for her excellent article regarding the appalling behaviour of Malcolm Turnbull since being removed as prime minister (“Misery and Malice”, 4/12).

Like many Australians, I once had a high opinion of Turnbull. I viewed him as the young lawyer with a stellar intellect who took on the best lawyers in England in the Spycatcher case and won against the odds.

Sadly, he is now a rather pathetic character who seeks to ruin the Liberal Party and shows no regard for how he might be increasing the chances of a Labor government and its bullying union mates.

Unfortunately, when history is written, Malcolm Turnbull will be remembered for all the wrong reasons.

Peter Hurdwell, Mount Colah, NSW

Caroline Overington refers to Malcolm Turnbull’s favourable reference to the letter George H.W. Bush wrote to Bill Clinton on the occasion of the latter assuming the US presidency. For those of us with more years behind than in front, we can contemplate the ageing process and what life teaches us. For some, with age comes wisdom. For others, age just comes by itself. Perhaps Bush snr and Turnbull are destined, each in their own way, to become exemplars for each cohort.

Peter Dowling, Brisbane, Qld

Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership was defined by by-elections he insisted were a referendum of his leadership but the Liberal vote continuously deteriorated and ultimately even his own seat of Wentworth was lost to the party. In the 2016 election, he won one seat for the Coalition (Julia Banks’s seat of Chisholm) but lost more than 20; and after the Longman by-election disaster he and Julie Bishop were replaced because their colleagues no longer trusted their policy development and delivery. The problem was either the message or the messenger and the substantial issue appears to be cost of living (utility prices and low wages) versus social and environmental activism.

Nobody seemed to know what Team Turnbull stood for but, interestingly, the Greens kept losing votes — and seats — and voters have clearly not embraced the anti-coal campaign. Scott Morrison needs differentiation from Labor and this may be as simple as cancelling Snowy 2.0 and calling tenders for three new coal or gas power plants. Voters cannot dictate the shape of their own future if politicians refuse to give them real choices.

Greg Jones, Kogarah, NSW

For all his Christian beliefs, the Prime Minister needs to stop turning the other cheek, as your editorial points out (“Time for appeasement is over so PM must move on”, 4/12), and show the electorate he has the strength of his convictions. He may not have been an Oxford University boxing blue like Tony Abbott, but it is time for him to square up and tell his predecessor to end this damaging vindictiveness and accept that what has happened is his own doing.

Hugh Francis, Portland, Vic

The Liberal Party should do what Australian cricket did when the World Series left the team bereft of top talent — bring a talented and respected player out of retirement. Back then Bobby Simpson was able to stabilise and inspire a team of young, talented cricketers who went on to beat India in the Test series. If the Liberals brought back Peter Costello, still a young man in political terms, they could turn the ship around almost immediately and the many talented young MPs in the caucus would have a great leader to rally around. Scott Morrison should call Costello now and offer to serve as his deputy.

Burt Bosma, Surrey Hills, Vic

So the Libs are to follow Labor with rules to ensure no future first-term PM is ousted. If only both sets of rules could be retroactive. There’s Kevin Rudd as PM. He is voted out by the people and replaced by Tony Abbott. Tony Abbott is voted out by the people. Julia Gillard becomes PM. Maybe gets two or three terms. All in good time. No resentment. No revenge. No chaos. Each has the chance to grow in the grace of office, an old-fashioned idea that leaders can grow to greatness as they experience the responsibility for and the respect of their people. We might have grown fond of them in spite of their flaws. We might have begun to trust them to make essential reforms. We’ll never know. The convention should have been respected. Shame it has to be made a rule.

Margaret Clark, Riverview, NSW