How did the Libs get into this mess?

JULIA Gillard has got it dead right. The rock upon which she stands is that the Australian parliament should authorise the Australian government to negotiate what offshore processing it sees fit in third countries.

This is the only responsible and democratic course in the national interest after the High Court decision on the Malaysia Solution.

It is incredible that the Liberal Party is so fixated on playing politics that it threatens to kill offshore processing outside the phoney solution of Nauru.

Tony Abbott has had every possible warning of this folly. Unless the Opposition Leader changes his mind in subsequent negotiations he will undermine Australia's border protection and create untold problems for himself in office.

Gillard's position would allow governments to implement their policies, whether for Malaysia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea or anywhere else.

It would restore the executive government's powers on offshore processing that prevailed from 2001 to the High Court decision of August 31.

Abbott has not closed off all his options. At present, however, he is violating ideas that have long defined the Liberal Party.

In effect, Abbott is undermining the principle of executive government authority. He is allowing the judiciary to decide offshore policy.

He is flouting the best advice from the Immigration Department on how to stop the boats. He is empowering the UN Convention to decide who is a suitable partner for Australia. How did the Liberals get into this mess?

Contrary to popular opinion, this is not smart politics. Abbott is now attacking Gillard from the Left. This will hopelessly compromise his boatpeople message.

There is heavy political brinkmanship in this standoff. Gillard is weak yet pretending to be strong.

The Prime Minister taunts Abbott, saying her proposed amendments are a "test" of his border protection credentials.

If the deadlock is unresolved, more boats will arrive and both leaders will attempt to blame each other.

Bravado and fatalism define the stand Gillard carried through the caucus yesterday. Having reinvented herself in tandem with Chris Bowen as a tough border protectionist, Gillard knew any retreat to onshore processing would signal disastrous weakness.

Her problem is that her new policy cannot be enacted without Abbott.

Both sides are too fixated on their Malaysia-Nauru preferences. Gillard should accept any deal that involves passage of her amendments in return for Labor reopening Nauru.

Yet Abbott, in effect, has ruled that out.

It is one thing for Abbott to play tough politics to advance a Coalition cause such as rejecting the carbon tax. It is entirely another to play tough politics by undermining the border protection cause, which the Coalition is supposed to champion. Abbott needs to rethink.