Nationals ceasefire is holding, kind of … at least for now

Peace has broken out within the Nationals … sort of.

The internal rebellion and public destabilisation against Michael McCormack’s leadership of the past two weeks has been brought under control.

Party elders have urged warring Nationals to stop damaging the party, the Coalition and the future by overreaching with personal vendettas and tainting the image of the party.

Ironically, leaked material aimed at hurting McCormack’s leadership has helped unify the disparate Nationals because it threatened to hurt the Nationals’ party, history and all its parliamentary representatives.

Traditionally, there’s nothing that unifies the Nationals more than an attack from outside and media criticism, especially on allowances, expenses and travel.

The view within the greater Nationals leadership is that the feud over the position of leader and Deputy Prime Minister had gone too far, had overreached and turned personal animosity into speculation of a party and Coalition rupture that could not be tolerated.

The Nationals, particularly in Queensland, face so many hostiles from the right and left that giving strength to the idea of yet another splinter party or group had to be stopped.

Likewise, the Liberals have been growing increasingly frustrated and furious as the spillover from Barnaby Joyce’s leadership challenge last week raised the spectre of a two-seat majority Coalition government turning into a minority government once more.

The opportunity for personal advancement presented by Bridget McKenzie’s dumping from cabinet was too great a temptation for Joyce, as a former leader who had been encouraged by his colleagues to run.

The consequent resignation from cabinet of Matt Canavan increased the turmoil, the stakes and the opportunity to predict the end of the Nationals.

Thursday’s outbreak of peace — Canavan, who resigned to support Joyce, pledged his support for McCormack’s leadership and David Gillespie declared he was “supporting our leader” — was absolutely necessary before parliament rose for a week.

After a regular leader’s lunch of “good old country fare and Australian chicken”, there were clear signs of inclusion during question time when last week’s rebels were lauded for their work defending Queensland jobs and the Nationals agenda was about Queensland, coal, resources and jobs. Even McCormack felt relaxed enough to make a joke about “rebels” — directed at the ALP — and got the best laugh he’s had for months.

But it’s a temporary peace, and one without deep resolution.