The ‘real Tony’ comes into play

The real Tony Abbott took a stroll in the sunshine yesterday, specifically on Ray Hadley’s 2GB radio program.

Abbott was gracious, generous, forgiving, more concerned with the national interest than with his own injuries. He forbore from criticising Scott Morrison; any differences over Morrison saying he gave a warning to Abbott’s office on the Friday before the leadership coup were just a misunderstanding.

Abbott wanted to focus on Morrison and Julie Bishop as very effective ministers in the government he led, not to rehash whatever might have been their role in his downfall. He wanted to thank Hadley’s audience for their support, thank Australians for the honour they had given him, and urge all those Liberal Party members — apparently in their many thousands — who felt so bitter at the party’s treatment of Abbott that they were tempted to leave to stay in the party instead.

It was a performance completely free of bitterness or rancour, and a significant boost to the re-election chances of the Turnbull government.

For Abbott could be as deadly for Malcolm Turnbull as Kevin Rudd was for Julia Gillard, but clearly that is not his intention.

For all manner of reasons, Abbott said, it was important all Liberals got behind Turnbull’s government. It was overwhelmingly in the national interest Turnbull be returned as Prime Minister.

Important as the substance of these messages was, Abbott’s tone was what really counted.

Freed of his three-word slogans and relentless message discipline, here was the thoughtful, warm and clever politician who so impressed as a minister in the Howard government and as a campaigner on countless issues before that.

There is no reason why Abbott should not again become a popular figure. He is not a wrecker, as demonstrated yesterday. And he still may have plenty of building to do.