Malcolm Turnbull has gone to scorched earth, DEFCON 3, dummy-spitting, take-my-ball-and-go-home politics, threatening to strip the government of its majority in the parliament and force an early election as a three-horse leadership contest looms comprising Peter Dutton, Scott Morrison and Julie Bishop. Pundits described yesterday as a day of political drama unparalleled since Gough Whitlam’s 1975 dismissal, while Simon Benson believes it was Mathias Cormann’s meeting with Mr Turnbull that turned the tide. While a nation waits for the PM’s probable midday partyroom meeting, Greg wondered what Malcolm was thinking:
“Whatever you think of Rudd, Gillard and Abbott, none of them tried to destroy their party as they were shown the door. In fact they all genuinely wanted the best for their party after their departure even if they, naturally, felt hard done by.
“Turnbull on they other hand wants to burn down his party if he can’t lead it. Why would any party want such a person leading it? I suspect Liberal MP’s have now reached the same conclusion.”
Trevor H was troubled:
“What selfish, self-centred actions. To have to be dragged out when it is clear you no longer have the required support is demeaning in the extreme. To sabotage not only your opponent, but the party is spoilt brat behaviour. Such a person is clearly unfit to be PM.”
Rod raged:
“If an outgoing Prime Minister deliberately destabilised his own Government it would be an unprecedented act of treachery, one for which he would long be remembered.”
Kris concurred:
“Vindictive to the last, the smartest man in the room torching it on the way out. Showing his true colours to the last. Goodbye Malcolm. Hello Peter.”
A joke said Jason:
“ ‘The reality is that a minority in the partyroom supported by others outside the parliament have sought to bully, intimidate others …’ That’s quite funny Malcolm because that’s how the vast majority of Australians have seen your term in government alongside Pyne, Bishop and Morrison.”
Richard wasn’t rapt:
“What a piece of work Turnbull is. Labor dodge a bullet when he begged them for a Senate seat.”
Jeremy pondered:
“I may have to reassess my opinion of one Kevin Rudd, who until now, was the most vain, narcissistic bully to ever attain the status of PM!”
True, said Terry:
“It’s all about Malcolm isn’t? The spiteful destruction of the Liberals majority would be classic narcissistic rage, a revenge not only on the Liberals but all of Australia that will ultimately inflict the distrustful Bill Shorten on us all.”
Sean beseeched:
“Malcolm — good or bad, for better of worse, whether you are right or whether you were wronged — don’t do this.
“Don’t delay the inevitable or blow up bridges behind you. Don’t let your legacy be defined by destructive vindictiveness. Just resign gracefully, sit on the backbench and watch the rest of chaos play out.
“You had a shot at PM and it didn’t work out. The best thing you can do is just walk away, without throwing grenades behind you.”
Remove all remnants, said Rod:
“If Turnbull resigns from parliament, I move that the Libs remove his legacy completely. No portrait in the party room. No mention in the party histories. No invitations. No recognition. Never mention him again. He can live out the rest of his life in disgrace.”
Timothy’s theory gets comment of the (long) week:
“Turnbull’s petulant manoeuvres yesterday to set in place his scorched earth retreat from the Prime Ministership and the parliament reveal the true character of the man.
“They are deliberately designed to facilitate the early delivery of government to Shorten and the Labor Party and to gift Shorten with a crushing Parliamentary majority.
“These are the acts of a spiteful, vengeful man who is demonstrating his contemptuous disregard for the party he used as the vehicle for his unbridled ego (totally unsupported by political ability) and for his party’s followers and supporters.
“He is basically telling his party and its supporters that if they don’t accept him as Prime Minister he will make sure they get Shorten and that he will destroy them as a political party.
“There have been more than a few previous Prime Ministers who have had their serious flaws and weaknesses. But however imperfect they were they at least deserved to hold for a time the honoured title of Prime Minister. They will be so remembered by posterity.
“But there is only one title that this bloke deserves and for which he will be rightly remembered by posterity. Prime Bastard.”
Clean the machine, said Kevin J:
“A good clean-out of the Liberal Party power machine is necessary. Despite his own failings, Tony Abbott has been right to want to start that process with the NSW Liberal power hierarchy.
“Malcolm Turnbull’s Labor-lite policy platform has to be binned immediately. A Scott Morrison-led Liberal/National coalition would be Turnbull-lite. A Julie Bishop-led one would be more of Turnbull’s waffle laced with higher levels of political correctivism (sic).
“To achieve the rebirth of the back to basics Liberal Party, only Peter Dutton provides the current answer. While he may lack some charisma and finesse to bring a fractured party together, his robust style will stand up well amid the turbulence that will prevail in the next few months.”
Eric waxed biblical:
“What does it profit a man to gain the whole world but loose his own soul?”
Joan’s rejoinder:
“Eric, you have to have a soul to lose in the first place.”
What’s in a name, argued Adrian:
“The Liberal party should have a standing order. Never elect anyone named Malcolm as PM. Both times it has been a disaster.”
Phillip fulminated:
“Mighty Mal, the PM the media gave us, showing his true colours. The great communicator. The great negotiator. Delivering a labor government and destroying the LNP, but that was his goal all along.”
Deborah differed:
“No, he stated what his goal was 30 years ago. He wanted to be PM of Australia. When asked what party, he said ‘it doesn’t matter’. His true colours have always been on display.
”Not all people who lean to the left love MT — I don’t. He is not a Labor person at all. He is green, nanny state and a crony capitalist. The worst of the left and right all rolled into one.
As for the four people all fighting to take his spot — if that is the best we can do out of 25 million people the country is in serious trouble and if you look over to the opposition benches it is equally appalling.
“It is pretty obvious what the game plan is — of course Tony will win his seat, but Dutton will not and Tony will again be in charge. The only person who has not figured this out is Dutton.”
What would Menzies do, asked John C:
“This crisis can be resolved easily. The answer can be found in history. What would Robert Menzies do? He would do a deal. He would unite the party against the common enemy.
Robert Menzies would unite the party to get the numbers. Whether it is Julia Bishop or Scott Morrison, or both. Iit doesn’t matter. Get rid of the Turnbull impediment and get on with it.”
Aghast was, well, aghast:
“Did you notice Turnbull rubbing his hands together relishing the situation as he faced the media yesterday morning? This was no Tony Abbott heading off to hide in his office for days in a funk of schoolboy disappointment.
“Turnbull is the Prime Minister who led Australia from the despair of the Abbott years of failed budgets to the highest jobs growth in history. He led Australia to a budget surplus coming in a year early.”
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