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5 reasons the Libs should push Turnbull’s profile

Diana Elliott

by Diana Elliott

14 Aug 05:30am

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Filed under: Election 2010, Liberal Leadership, Malcolm Turnbull, Politics

57 comments

As the election campaigning drones on, my eyes are getting misty for Malcolm Turnbull. Remember him? The guy that led the Opposition, a mere eight months ago?

Malcolm, the silver fox. Picture: Ross Schultz.

Labor has wheeled out Rudd (almost literally from his hospital bed) in the hope of turning around its woeful campaign. My question is, why doesn’t the Coalition do the same with its hitherto unacknowledged golden boy? Abbott may think he’s winning, but really all he’s doing is not losing. And that can quickly change if Rudd suddenly pushes the turbo boost for Labor.

Here are five reasons why Turnbull is the PM candidate we wish we had:

1. He’s smart, both an academic and “street” sense. Sure, he’s got all the requisite degrees, studied at Oxford, blah blah. But there’s more to him than that. He’s been a journalist, barrister, corporate lawyer, merchant banker. He defended the right of a British author to publish a book about his days as a MI5 agent (Spycatcher) – and won.  And he’s written a few books, happily (and in contrast to his contemporaries) on topics other than himself.

2. He believes in things and is prepared to stand up for them. He was leader of the Republican movement and wrote a book about why Australia needs to become one. He’s Catholic but doesn’t agree with the Church’s teachings on abortion and stem cell research, so he supported progressive legislation on both, ignoring Cardinal George Pell’s very public disgust. He believes in climate change and actually wanted to do something about it, unlike his colleagues. He fell on his sword trying to support the Government’s emission trading scheme – something that at least was better than the nothing we have now. That cost him dearly, losing out in a three-way ballot by one single vote to Tony “the-argument-on-climate-change-is-absolute-crap” Abbott. Sigh.

3. He’s made a few mistakes, which means he’s more likely to think twice before making them again. Sure, he didn’t handle the whole Grech/Ute-Gate affair particularly well. But hey, Godwin Grech was one bizarre unit. In some way, Turnbull revealed a bit of his character there; a positive aspect gone largely unobserved. He listened to, and believed something a humble public servant-come-apparent-whistle-blower had to say. As a lawyer if nothing else, he should have known to exercise due skepticism before he opened his mouth in support. But it was hard not to feel sorry for Turnbull when all he really did was believe what a weird, little guy had to say. At least he wasn’t hurling abuse or treating public servants as though they were personal slaves like Rudd.

4. He’s made a lot of money through personal exertion. Some people think that’s a bad thing – how can he relate to the masses when he’s sitting on a fortune? But that’s the very reason why we should trust him. A man who can manage his own affairs, who has started and run his own successful businesses, and who knows the realities of corporate life is someone I’ll put a bit of faith in when it comes to the economy. I can’t imagine a person with his business acumen letting his shareholders (us) be manipulated by rip-off pink batt installers or extortionist school building renovators wearing King Gees.

5. He’s a total Silver Fox. He’s charismatic, handsome, highly articulate and chicks dig him. He’s got that Prime Ministerial ‘X’ factor. A quick poll of my left-leaning (highly disillusioned) friends said they were more likely to vote for Turnbull than Gillard, but would never in a million years vote for Abbott.

Abbott, has been a good Opposition leader. He’s opposed things – something he once said was an Opposition leader’s duty. He chips. He takes the other side. He has created a sense of chasm between the two parties (or rather did, before this campaign started) which was arguably needed. But he’s not someone most people truly believe should be leading this country. He has become too accustomed to arguing the case against – rather than for, something. Being PM demands a different skillset. And despite attempts to convince us otherwise, he doesn’t understand women or what we want. Even he must be wondering how the heck it has come to this.

In the aftermath of the Liberal Party spill, Abbott looked as baffled as anyone that he had won the vote. As the dark clouds gather over Gillard, he’s now licking his lips nervously, wondering if the impossible is really possible – that a Howard/Bishop ‘lovechild’ with highly conservative views, could one day soon speak on behalf on an entire nation. Meanwhile, swinging Australia is feeling nauseous at the thought of deciding what is the least worst option on August 21.

Malcolm, if you’re listening, dust yourself off and get back in the scrum.

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57 comments

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    • Tony of Poorakistan says:

      05:44am | 14/08/10

      Agree with everything except the ETS. This was something that was going to make his merchant banker buddies even richer (by trading carbon credits) at the expense of the end consumer who, as the last link in the chain, always seems to be paying for everything.

      Reply

    • Biteme says:

      11:41am | 14/08/10

      The only thing Liberal about Malcolm Turnbull is his support of big business.

    • Sam says:

      12:50pm | 14/08/10

      Tony, your point has always confused me. Why would the party which cowtows to the top end of town go against lining the pockets of their rich mates after they bent over backwards to accommodate worst choices? 
      Leopards never change their spots that much. Even Abbott will revert to his true, nasty self after the election.

    • Tony of Poorakistan says:

      04:36pm | 14/08/10

      Hi Sam

      well Workchoices was about flexibility as far as a lot of us were concerned - the ability to negotiate with individuals to the betterment of both company and worker; reward those who put in, get rid of those who don’t, in much the same way as happens in ‘‘the big end of town’‘. If I don’t meet my KPI’s, I’m out on the street.

      I think, after a couple of Saturday afternoon beers, that there is a lot more diversity on the right side of politics. I myself am what I think of as a compassionate conservative in that I believe in looking after your less fortunate countrymen who are going through a lean patch, provided they do their best to get themselves out of it and not bludge. As an ardent nationalist, I do not apply the same thinking to anyone not born here.

      I think Peter Costello was also a compassionate conservative and there is no way the banks would behave as they are currently doing under Costello. He knew where they buried the bodies and he’d have no hesitation in putting the boot into them if they didn’t give the mum and dad mortgage payers a break.

      Abbott is more to the left than I am - I voted One Nation and would do so again if it were possible. Abbott has a soft spot for the so-called asylum-seekers and believes that, even though this is nominally a democracy, opposition to Pauline’s position was worth perverting the course of justice for. It has been said he is too open and honest for his own good and that may be true. The electorate is certainly not ready for that. His one good point is that he is no egotist, unlike most of the rest of them.

      Back to Turnbull - my take on his position is that he is very much pro-entrepreneur - , there will always be winners and losers and the winners get richer at the expense of the losers. In the case of the ETS, the loser was going to be the consumer and the MAXIMUM possible effect it could have on global carbon pollution was less than 1%. Hardly fair to everyone in Australia who then had to pay a lot more extra than 1%  for electricity and, in fact, everything that used electricity in manufacture ie everything.

      Turnbull reminded me of Al Gore who had an epiphany about global warming around about the same time he bought heavily into a carbon trading business.

    • Tarzan says:

      06:33pm | 14/08/10

      Tony of Poorakistan: You are good! I reckon you could get a job blogging horoscopes. BTW I was a One Nation voter too, and what Tony did was disgraceful.

    • Michael says:

      07:23am | 14/08/10

      The coalition aren’t ready to Govern, with Abbott as Leader and Julie Bishop as deputy and Andrew Robb as finance spokesman comes across as someone out of mack and miah for hire unfortunately. And Tony Smith at their Broadband announcement looked like he was having an anxiety attack and totally out of his depth. Joe Hockey gives the impression he’s only in the job because there was no one else left in the coalition to do it, which is probably true.. I would hope after the election should they lose which is probable, Abbott will be replaced and we will see Turnbull back as Leader. They need basically a complete new front bench, I don’t know where they’re going to find them but they need a new team and Turnbull would be the best choice to lead. I hate the thought of Labor winning especially with Gillard as Leader and Swan as deputy but I just don’t think the Coalition Team have the right team to Govern the country.

      Reply

    • Joan says:

      11:37am | 14/08/10

      Labor track record shows they can’t govern. School rorts, insulation debacle, asylum seeker mess, ETS failure, Swann now costing us $100million per day and Gillards spend, spend, spending has Australia on track to Greek economy. Labor failure in first term, Gillard herself said Labor lost its way,,, Labor knows they’re a failure why give them a second chance??  Debates on TV have Liberals running rings around Labor ... Liberals are well and truly ready to lead Australia back on track !

    • Eric says:

      07:36am | 14/08/10

      “Turnbull is the PM candidate we wish we had”

      By “we”, I presume you mean Labor voters. It’s only the lefties who support Turnbull because he’s not capable of winning anything. Just look at the polling of the Coalition when Turnbull was in charge, and look at it now.

      Turnbull and Nelson were never going to lead the Coalition to victory, which is why journalists and ALP hacks liked them so much. Tony Abbott, as a true conservative, is capable of running the conservative party as a viable alternative.

      Reply

    • RJB says:

      10:48pm | 14/08/10

      Those on every street corner are cheering “Hear Hear”

    • acotrel says:

      08:06am | 14/08/10

      There are currently three major issues confronting Australia - climate change, the National Broadband Network, and nuclear power.  We cannot afford to have one of our major opposition parties led by a technophobe.  Tony Abbott probably believes Alvin Toffler was one of the Chipmunks?  Sorry , but realistically there is no way back to the fifties.  Turnbull is probably better, he might even know the difference between a’bit’ and a ‘byte’? But I doubt it!

      Reply

    • sam says:

      01:20pm | 14/08/10

      He was chairman of an ISP (OzEmail) in the 90s. So yeah, he probably would know the difference between a bit and a byte.

    • Biteme says:

      01:32pm | 14/08/10

      acotrel, the three major issues you speak of are issues in the distance. I would say the major issues facing us now are:
      1: housing affordabilty
      2: immigration
      3: basic cost of living pressures
      I would say climate change is still an abstract concept to the ordinary Australian, of which just has many distractors. While immigration, housing affordabilty and the cost of power are felt everyday. And BTW there is no such thing as a “tecnophobe”.

    • The Badger says:

      07:59pm | 14/08/10

      Biteme
      There is such thing as a technophobe. It is a fear of technology

      Abbot is not a technophobe. He is just technically illiterate. 

      Discovery is seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought.
      Albert Szent-Gyorgi

    • Mike says:

      08:24am | 14/08/10

      Tony Abbott stood against the unproven AGW theory and Turnbull acted like an inner city Green and supported it. Turnbull lost the vote because so many Liberal supporters are sceptical of the claims of the AGW charlatans like Gore (his powerpoint shown mostly to be lies).
      Turnbull will face the same challenge again. He has undoubted presence and skills but the grass root Liberals will not easily support him and in an election he will have to appeal to Labor and Green voters. I doubt whether there will be enough of those prepared to vote Liberal to get him over the line. And for me it’s simple. I’ll save myself the $80 a year I pay as a Liberal party member.

      Reply

    • Mike says:

      08:26am | 14/08/10

      Tony Abbott stood against the unproven AGW theory and Turnbull acted like an inner city Green and supported it. Turnbull lost the vote because so many Liberal supporters are sceptical of the claims of the AGW charlatans like Gore (his powerpoint shown mostly to be lies).
      Turnbull will face the same challenge again. He has undoubted presence and skills but the grass root Liberals will not easily support him and in an election he will have to appeal to Labor and Green voters. I doubt whether there will be enough of those prepared to vote Liberal to get him over the line. And for me it’s simple. I’ll save myself the $80 a year I pay as a Liberal party member.

      Reply

    • Observer says:

      08:28am | 14/08/10

      Agree with your assessment and Turnbull would have made a great prime minister. It’s interesting to note that Abbott shares some of these traits too but most would probably not notice:
      1. He’s also smart,both an academic and “street” sense. His Rhodes scholar and various degrees demonstrate the academic side. His ability to take on the Labor thugs demonstrate the ‘street’ sense
      2. He believes in things and is prepared to stand up for them. Unfortunately for Abbott, he’s been in the public eye for far too long and has been too vocal over the years about his beliefs. While I don’t agree with many of his beliefs, it is also a great differentiation for me between him and Gillard. I would rather have a prime minister who has passion and beliefs than one that does and says anything to get into office any day. I would also like to point out that people should not fear his beliefs as the system does work as far as preventing people from single-handedly making decisions based on their beliefs - just look at what happened to Rudd when he tried to be a one-man band and what happened to Turnbull when he tried to impose his belief on climate change.
      3. He’s made a few mistakes - don’t think I need to elaborate on this point

      Reply

    • Next Please says:

      08:31am | 14/08/10

      Tony Abbott is already being compared to Mark Latham.  Joe Hockey is trying to sound like the next leader of the Liberal Party (give it a rest Joe, it is not going to happen). Suppose they could give Christopher Pyne a go but then again Turnbull knows a lot about email.

      Reply

    • Polly Waffle says:

      08:52am | 14/08/10

      I did a online survey and was told I should make a Donkey Vote.  Does that mean most politicians are Donkeys?

      Reply

    • Bruce says:

      09:56am | 14/08/10

      I do like Malcom Turnbull. However, I believe Tony Abbott relates better with the public. Both are extremely intelligent and well qualified, far more so than their individual labor opponents. I believe Tony Abbott’s more outdoors, athletic, sportsman ‘australia bloke’ profile is more appealing than Malcom Turnbul’s quieter sometimes smugg demeanor. If Tony Abbott been a labor politician he would be a national hero and voter land would know all about it. Unfortunately, many in ‘voter’ land only judge their politicians on how well they look or smile and really do not have much interest in political issues. The labor party knows this only too well.

      Reply

    • Richard says:

      09:58am | 14/08/10

      Where were all the Malcolm fans this time last year when Rudd was enjoying historic popularity levels? I felt like I was bashing my head against a brick wall trying to extol his virtues when no-one wanted to listen. Now all of a sudden Abbott looks like he has a shot and out comes the nostalgia for Turnbull. Well you brought this on yourselves you lot for not supporting him when you had the chance. I supported him, and now I support Tony (even though I’m slightly left leaning and disillusioned myself), because wasteful incompetent governments MUST be held accountable. Governments must know that if they waste our money they will get thrown out of office.

      Reply

    • Gary says:

      01:12pm | 14/08/10

      “Where were all the Malcolm fans this time last year when Rudd was enjoying historic popularity levels? I felt like I was bashing my head against a brick wall trying to extol his virtues when no-one wanted to listen. Now all of a sudden Abbott looks like he has a shot and out comes the nostalgia for Turnbull.”
      Richard, the media changed their allegience. that tells me Murdoch had changed his preferences. Noboy else has that much power.

      as for “Governments must know that if they waste our money they will get thrown out of office.”, maybe you remember when howard spent hundreds of millions promoting serfchoices, and throwing hundreds of millions at middle class welfare, well he WAS thrown out.
      Meanwhile, when a party is trying to do something that is actually as worthwhile as the NBN, and the opposition is hellbent on destroying what may be a once in a generation if not lifetime opportunity to create such infrastructure, such considerations change. As for the BER wastage, wasn’t that down largely to the greed of companies, probably owned by lib voters?.

    • Wolf says:

      05:30pm | 14/08/10

      The right largely led by the bible bashers and the flat earthers (ie AGW is crap) has pressured in turn the liberal party and then the labor party to overturn their respective leaders to give their man (abbot) the best chance of becoming pm.  I have no idea who the hell to vote for this election, no matter what the outcome is the country will suffer one way or the other.

    • Biteme says:

      09:59am | 14/08/10

      I can find 10 reasons why not to vote for him from his Wikipedia profile.

      Reply

    • Anjuli says:

      10:13am | 14/08/10

      I like Malcolm ,and think he should be promoted more, he seems a man of principles unlike a lot of politicians who on first getting into parliament they are in it to get things done .They soon turn like all the others to survive, so they can eventually leave with their pensions, and take their super early then go and work some where else and start super all over again.

      Reply

    • Rosie says:

      10:39am | 14/08/10

      Please Diana don’t confuse us anymore. Liberal supporters must now focus on no other but Tony Abbott.

      We have a very short memory. After the 2007 Elections the Kevin07 phenomenon was bewildering and look what happened to the elected PM after 2 years.

      The Liberal Party after being in power 12 years with just the one leader all of sudden was a shattered party made worse by the departure of senior ministers in John Howard, Peter Costello and Alexander Downer. Naturally it would take time to re-group and now after two changes in leadership we should leave Tony Abbott where he is. Tony Abbott, is gutsy, intelligent, a fighter, well disciplined who has the capabilities to adapt in any situation amongst any group of people as we have clearly seen him do in this Election Campaign. The Liberal Party needs to be seen as an united stable party ready to either govern or be in opposition. I say govern because to come from the position where the Liberal Party was to where they are today is no mean feat. He was also given the chance to win by the shenanigans of the Labor Party.

      Malcolm Turnbull like Malcolm Fraser was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has something about him that I feel doesn’t do it for the majority of Australians. Tony Abbott is more of the John Howard type and should be left to earn his place in office unlike Julia Gillard.

      I believe in fate and if Tony Abbott doesn’t win he wasn’t meant to win but is advantaged in using this election experience for bigger and better things to come. However, he will need the support of his party and others that believe in him.

      Reply

    • jo says:

      08:26pm | 14/08/10

      I think you should do a bit more research on Turnbull before you comment..

    • John C says:

      11:01am | 14/08/10

      I could not agree with you more. If Abbott was to say that, if elected, Turnbull would have either a senior economic or environmental position, this would turn a lot of votes.

      Reply

    • Joan says:

      11:10am | 14/08/10

      So if he is so good as a leader why did he stuff it up??  This time last year he was cactus and stuffed up Liberal crediblity big time.  Don`t be so naive as to believe in packages labeled Good leaders - sure to blow up in you face.

      Reply

    • Biteme says:

      11:32am | 14/08/10

      One thing I find fascinating about Turnbull is this:  The 2009 annual BRW list of the richest Australians put Turnbull at 182 of 200, with an estimated net worth of $178 million. But then in 2010 his estimated net worth increased to $186 million. How does a politician do that? I thought MP got around $250,000.00 pa.
      Maybe he is still getting commissions from tearing down the forest’s in the Solomon Islands?

      Reply

    • Tarzan says:

      09:08pm | 14/08/10

      You cannot accuse the punch of being Liberal bias allowing comments like this. But it is true, he was the CEO of Axiom Forrest.

    • Rosie says:

      11:44am | 14/08/10

      Already we have seen Labor supporters in here trying to undermine the capabilities of Tony Abbott and the Liberal party by giving credit to Malcolm Turnbull.

      My advice to them is to keep an eye on Julia Gillard and the Labor Robotic Machine. If Julia Gillard is PM her fate isn’t in the hands of the people, it will be in the hands of the Labor Robotic Machine.

      Reply

    • stephen says:

      11:46am | 14/08/10

      I’m voting for the Libs this time, if only because of Mr. Abbott.
      I think he will be a good motivator of a very good front bench.
      Mr Turnbull is a good right-hand-man, and a people’s man.
      These two should work together as one,(not like Paul and Bob)

      Reply

    • Gregg says:

      12:05pm | 14/08/10

      Malcolm Turnbull will have a role in a Liberal government and in fact it is his type of views and discussion that will strengthen a party, any party and all parties should be strengthened by open debate.

      We have seen that in the Liberal party and exactly the reason that Abbott is parliamentary leader. and have we seen nit in too many Labor parties where it is more toe the line with party policy and do not question there could be something better!
      Whilst Turnbull has got great qualities, look at Labor and the fracturing that occurred with Rudd in the picture and no doubt he will be helping to keep wounds opened if not rub salt in to them.

      An election is not a time to experiment with strategies that could prove divisive, unless of course you are Labor.

      Reply

    • Drew(Darlinghurst) says:

      12:34pm | 14/08/10

      Yes with Malcolm the Liberal Party had an opportunity to be a true “liberal” Party ...But it turned to the Mad Monk , towards Tony Abbott. The Liberal Party today under Tony’s leadership is reactionary and ultra conservative.
      It’s a Shame.

      And Its for this reason I will NEVER VOTE LIBERAL with TONY ABBOT as leader.

      Cheers smile

      Reply

    • Gregg says:

      04:24pm | 14/08/10

      Ha ha ha ha ha Drew,
      Your choice of words and venom is a clear indication of what type of voter you really are and will likely never use your head too well when voting.
      It is obvious you like a more dictatorial government and you can see what Rudd achieved and he even had a gang of four.
      As much as you want to have a strong leader you also need a strong team and an open government making key decisions as a team.

    • Rod says:

      03:17pm | 14/08/10

      Mmm,

      Two problems that I can see with this approach, Diana.

      Firstly, given that he stands a very good chance of becoming leader of the Libs again if, as now seems highly likely, Abbott loses, and given his previous treatment by Abbott, Robb etc., Turnbull is unlikely to want to play ball in anything more than cursory fashion.

      Secondly, Turnbull , in many respects is probably ideologically closer to Gillard than he is to Abbott on most issues. Having him out on stage would simply tend to emphasise how far Abbott has pushed the party back to the right, and may well shuffle as more voters over to Labor or the Greens than it brings back to the Liberal fold.

      Reply

    • nosthow says:

      04:26pm | 14/08/10

      Anyone other than Abbott would be good for the Libs and turnbull at least has some principle. Abbott has tried to become PM by doing nothing, having no policies and in full standing for nothing. That big $700,000 mortgage he has will require a good future salary to service so why not try out for the PM role ? Pity he will never get it. Still no reason why Tony cant deliver Pizzas around Seaforth at night to pick up some extra cash ! Or move to WA to work in the mines.

      Reply

    • Alex says:

      04:53pm | 14/08/10

      Only Trumbull can be PM if not, then Gillard
      This is the fact.

      Reply

    • Steely Dan says:

      05:13pm | 14/08/10

      6.  He’s the next Liberal PM.

      Left or right, we all know it.  Why not get introduced to the guy who’ll be in the Lodge eventually?

      Reply

    • Tarzan says:

      06:15pm | 14/08/10

      I honestly cannot believe people here commenting think that Turnbull will have the Australian people at heart. My God read and research this guy before you blindly follow the popular line! Hockey is the best bet. He is a family man with young children, he talks up front and no BS. Hockey is the man!

      Reply

    • Steely Dan says:

      03:10pm | 15/08/10

      @ Tarzan

      “Hockey is the best bet. He is a family man with young children, he talks up front and no BS.”
      Doesn’t that sound like a slogan that should be chanted from a megaphone as ‘Honest Joe’ tours the little towns, waving from the back of a ute dressed in an Australian flag safari suit?  Even Hockey’s staffers would be cringing at that one!

      There are a lot of straight-talking family men who will tell you that the moon landing was a hoax, and that they’ve been probed by extra-terrestrials.  Those qualifications are insufficient (and maybe even unncecessary) to be a leader.

      I’m not saying Hockey’s necessarily a bad choice to lead the Libs, I’m just saying you’re not making a very convincing case.

    • Jeanette Howard says:

      07:29pm | 14/08/10

      After this election loss they will be begging Malcolm to lead them to victory.

      Reply

    • Dobbo says:

      09:56pm | 14/08/10

      Believe that Abbott is the lead in the Coalition’s saddle bags in the current election campaign.

      Abbott is more a 1950s-style leader than someone equipped to lead Australia into the 21st Century.

      One clear piece of evidence? John Howard has come out in enthusiastic support in at least one national newspaper today.

      A devil-may-care even cavalier attitude clearly defines Abbott’s antique crash-through-or-crash leadership style.

      A $710,000 mortgage to be noted on the parliamentary register - coupla years mate…she can wait.

      An 7.30 Report interview about the Coalition’s national broadband policy on the day same policy was released - “Look, I’m no Bill Gates”.

      Decimal points missing on budget costings - “Just a coupla typos”.

      Fifty years back this stuff wouldn’t have mattered. For a start the sort of detailed scrutiny that the 24/7 news cycle brings wasn’t there.

      Even if such slackness was brought to the public’s attention no doubt the average ocker would still have said: “Who gives a stuff? He’s a good bloke. Helps out in the surf club. Bugger it. I’m going to vote for him.”

      Problem is, for better or worse, life’s a lot more complex now and action hero man just doesn’t cut it anymore.

      Gillard on the other hand increasingly looks like the sort of leader who can take Australia into the future and has shown enormous grace under pressure throughout an incredibly difficult campaign.

      Still (and this brings me to my support of Diana Elliott’s opinion piece)  ...Gillard can thank her lucky stars she hasn’t been facing Turnbull.

      Reply

    • acotrel says:

      10:06pm | 14/08/10

      Tony Abbott might be ‘well qualified’, but in WHAT FIELD? - certainly NOT SCIENCE! What f ield are Turnbull qual’s in (smashing piggy banks?) Australia can no longer afford luddite leaders!

      Reply

    • acotrel says:

      10:17pm | 14/08/10

      As she was leaving the forum, the Macquarie University student Cassie Magritzer was quoted saying that Abbott “seemed normal”. He is in effect the non-politician’s politician, an extraordinary achievement for a man who has been in federal politics for 16 years.

      Beaut y is certainly in the eye of the beholder! You have to wonder about some uni students.  I wonder if Cassie is qualified to comment on Abbott’s sanity? Perhaps if you’re in the loonie bin, the other loonies look ‘normal’?

      Reply

    • Robert Smissen, rural SA, God's own country says:

      12:58am | 15/08/10

      Diana, please start taking your medication again before you say something REALLY stupid! !

      Reply

    • Peter says:

      03:28am | 15/08/10

      We all know Turnbull will be the next Liberal PM. In 2013 to be exact.

      Reply

    • Dobbo says:

      05:56am | 15/08/10

      Further thought: Probably a bit harsh to totally blame Abbott as “the lead in the Coalition saddlebags”. Basically the whole Howard years toxin has to wash through the Libs - asylum seekers, anti intellectualism, middle class welfare etc etc - before they’ll become any sort of inspiration as a party again.

      A way to go then if as Abbott recently claimed still have (was it?) seven former Howard Government ministers in his team as though that was some sort of virtue.

      So if Turnbull assume leadership again will certainly have his work cut out to recast Libs in his much more 21st Century image.

      Reply

    • Taiabada says:

      10:38am | 15/08/10

      Diana, I agree that it would be good to see Malcolm out there and with your summation of his abilities.  I believe both malcolm and Tony are big men, and although perhaps presently estranged, are men enough to settle differences and still fight for the same cause.  It has been good to see Malcolm present at Tony’s launch and applauding naturally.  Prior to next weekend it would be great if there could be a photo occcasion where they met, shook hands enthusiastically and had a few words on the side.  There is no doubt Tony, if elected, will want Malcolm to the forefront of his government and many would like to be reassured to see this.

      Reply

    • Anjuli says:

      10:52am | 15/08/10

      If any one hadn’t noticed we all need the big end of town even if we don’t like it.as they are the ones with the money to give us all our jobs.Michael says that the coalition are not ready to govern and I suppose the labor party were!!!!!
      Julie Bishop came across very well on her debate with Steven Smith,I was very surprised as i had only ever seen the parts of her which the media had wanted us to see.

      Reply

    • BK says:

      01:26pm | 15/08/10

      Political junkies don’t understand how little time some of us spend thinking about party politics. We don’t know Turnbull’s policies, we just see a smug little rich boy who is easy to hate.

      Reply

    • Joanne wilson says:

      05:48pm | 15/08/10

      Tony Abbott deserves to be PM. Malcom Turnbull would make an excellent treasurer. I think Joe Hockey has been a disappointment during the election campaign.

      Reply

    • Ashley says:

      10:44pm | 15/08/10

      What a hat full of clowns the Libs are. Tony the chimp, Joe Hocus Pocus, Julie Vader and Christopher Whine. Howard’s dead wood.  Get some normal people in the party and reinstate Turnbull.

      Reply

    • acotrel says:

      11:03pm | 15/08/10

      I’d feel much less uncomfortable with Turnbull as PM.  Abbott would be a disaster for Australia! Anyway it’s unlikely the Abbott will make it, the voters aren’t completely stupid!

      Reply

    • Gerry Sinclair says:

      11:22pm | 15/08/10

      Just a few major problems, Turnbull is not a team player and he is not a good politician, he blew utegate & made a huge strategic error getting sucked in to Rudd’s rhetoric re climate change and idealogically he probably should be in the Labor Party.

      There is no guarantee he will get up as Lib leader if Abbott loses, the punters see him differently to the press club and fawning female journos.

      Reply

    • A.heley says:

      08:08am | 16/08/10

      So when will Turnbull join the Green, he is rich, full of it, never met a battler, doesnt know anyone in a rural electorate and suffers from middle-class guilt. I am sure the Greens could would love him on board.

      Reply

    • Albaba says:

      09:59pm | 07/02/12

      Our pbluic debt is insignificant at around 15% of GDP. Our capacity to pay the debt is excellent. And the pbluic sector being in deficit during a global recession is nothing to be ashamed of. I know it makes conservatives feel all hairy-chested having a surplus for the sake of it, but it is NOT good policy.Check the CIA’s pbluic sector debt rankings .Our overall net foreign debt, though, is significant at around 60% of GDP and is overwhelmingly in private hands. This doubled during Howard’s term in office.

      Reply
 
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