EDs: Simone Holzapfel worked as Tony Abbott’s media advisor when he was in the Howard Government ministry.

In many ways, Tony Abbott is one of a kind. In a focus group-led political world where our leaders too often speak in clichés, perfectly deliver their politically correct lines and image is everything, Tony Abbott stands apart. But will his frankness translate to political success or failure?

Tony Abbott, laughing all the way to the publisher. Picture: Ray Strange

The thing about Abbott is that you don’t have to like him, or his views, but you have to respect him.  Because, unlike many of his colleagues, you know where he stands because his views on just about everything - no matter how challenging or difficult the issue - are on the public record.

There’s a real intellectual honesty to him.  He writes his own speeches, a throw back to his days as a journalist, he says, but I think more likely, a process through which he develops his thoughts, something that was no doubt fostered during his years at Oxford.

Set pieces are a regular and - for his staff - harrowing feature of life in his office, but essential as they help him formulate and assimilate his views and direction.

Tony reminds us that there was a time when all politicians wrote their own material; weren’t afraid to stray from the talking points provided by their departments and advisors; weren’t afraid to debate the big issues that face us as a nation.

His new book Battlelines, released today, is further evidence of this. In it, he advocates paid maternity leave; wants to see a complete overhaul of the tax-transfer system to ensure that more Australians get to keep more of what they earn as the transfer from welfare to employment, something he advocated behind the scenes while in Government; and the centerpiece of the book, a new federalism; perhaps better described as a new nationalism.

In addition to being a good read, what this book demonstrates is that Abbott is currently one of the most underutilized members of the Opposition. Like everyone, he has his bad days, but his views more often than not touch a chord with the Australian electorate.

He was without a doubt one of the most powerful performers within the Howard Government, and remains formidable as demonstrated by his recent performance as Leader of Opposition Business during the recent “Utegate” affair.

Perhaps more than anyone on the Opposition Front Bench, Abbott has the right to be unhappy about his “middle-order” status. Team player that he always wants to be, he helped to manage the Ute Gate affair as it turned sour. Rather than let Malcolm hang as pay back for past slights, he relished in the opportunity to be ‘useful’.

Some critics will say that this book, his third, is a thinly-disguised 200-page job application for the leadership of the Liberal Party. It’s actually Abbott’s way of driving debate within the Liberal Party and the community; a natural extension of what he has always done, in both government and opposition, writing speeches and opinion pieces for key institutes and national publications.

The will be claims that this book demonstrates even greater division in the Federal Liberal Party. This is a naïve and counterproductive view. Yes, disunity is death for a political party but, the death of ideas within our major parties is an ever greater concern.  If we accept that there can be no public debate within parties about issues of policy, as a nation, we are in danger of consigning public debate to the dustbin of history.

This idea that political parties, particularly in Opposition can’t have open debate and differences on matters of national policy is the mantra of this new-age media driven spin politics that has become fashionable in Australia in the past couple of years.

What this mantra fails to consider is that the strength of our democracy relies on challenging our political leadership of all persuasion to continually engage in an ongoing dialogue and debate about the issues that shape the face of Australia today and tomorrow.

I have no doubt that in time the electorate will tire of the spin. Poll-driven terminology like ‘temporary deficit’  and political process governed more by the media cycle than good policy - we are currently experiencing - will eventually fail. The pendulum will swing and electorate will look to the ‘tell it to them straight’, grass roots, imperfect politics of Abbott and those like him.

The former Prime Minister John Howard once said that the times would suit him. Perhaps, the same will be true for Abbott? Only time will tell.

30 comments

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    • Henrietta says:

      10:36am | 28/07/09

      I wish more politicians would hold true to their principles rather than selling themselves out and aligning with factions every decision

    • eag says:

      10:51am | 28/07/09

      And could he by any chance be building up to a leadership challenge?

    • stephen says:

      10:57am | 28/07/09

      Two hundred pages is a pretty short book.(Unlike Mr. Hockey, I don’t think Mr. Abbott talks enough.)

      Though he’s on the wrong side of the fence - politically, that is - any reasonable person would tip their hat at a politician who finds it hard not being ironic. (And any sensible person would have to like the chap.)

    • shane says:

      11:19am | 28/07/09

      Great article.  We are not allowed to discuss ideas any more, as the alternative to Rudd’s way is, apparently, ‘to do nothing’.  I fear that one day we will look back and ask how did this happen?  How did we go from no debt and full employment to this?

    • Patrick says:

      11:23am | 28/07/09

      Spin spin and more spin. Anyone else feeling dizzy?

    • Mark F says:

      11:44am | 28/07/09

      I enjoy hearing Abbotts view, he doesn’t play follow the leader dutyfully. He’s not affraid to put his views out there, and because you know they are his own and not just following orders to repeat what someone has told him to say, makes for interesting listening. I think the Rudd Governmnet should allow this in their party. It’s called democracy.

    • Ben from Perth says:

      12:20pm | 28/07/09

      Wilson Tuckey isn’t afraid to speak his mind either.

    • iansand says:

      12:28pm | 28/07/09

      Wilson Tuckey does not speak his mind.  He is on a quest to find something he lost long ago…

    • G says:

      12:29pm | 28/07/09

      This man has no place being in a position of authority where he can allow his strict religious beliefs to cloud his judgement.  We live in a secular society - his beliefs are not only overtly religious but his mindset is stuck in the past (50’s mentality).  This is why he’d never be leader of the opposition - he would not get the female vote.  Every woman I’ve spoken to over the last 4 years has very strong views against this man no matter what side of politics they support.  While he was minister of health he held women’s health issues to ransom and these views are from a minority base that is the christian/catholic population (even others within this group disagree with his stance).

    • Chris says:

      12:30pm | 28/07/09

      Whereas Tony Abbott puts some thought into what he has to say and whether you agree or disagree with him he makes considered judgements on issues, poor old Wilson just puts his foot in his mouth.

    • Pricey says:

      12:32pm | 28/07/09

      The difference between Wilson Tuckey and Tony Abbott is that Tony speaks after he has used his mind…........ Not the other way around.

    • Shelley says:

      12:43pm | 28/07/09

      I’m with you Mark.
      Listening to Abbot is more interesting than listening to the zombie look, hand up puppets arse, this is a recording like speeches and interviews (or should that be readings and over rehearsed chats?) given by other politicians. Sadly most are in the ruling party at the moment which is resulting in an endless procession of exceedingly boring, wishy-washy and carbon copy type people spewing hours of brain numbing party pap that they are cheekily attempting to passing off as individual intellectual thought. A collective working at its finest,I fear.

    • Shelley says:

      12:47pm | 28/07/09

      Wilson must be doing and saying a lot of what his electorate is liking. He keeps getting the votes.

    • Ben from Perth says:

      02:07pm | 28/07/09

      Just saying that Abbott isn’t quite the last Liberal polly to speak his mind, even though his approach is a little different… and there are obviously sufficient people who are good with what he has to say because he’s been around for a while.

      @Pricey - what’s wrong with calling Bomber a “fat so and so”?! smile

    • Simon H says:

      03:18pm | 28/07/09

      The fact that a former minion of his has written this article, confirms that Abbott really does still harbour ambitions to lead the coalition (and, of course, be PM as a result).

      This means that for all of his attributes, insight isn’t one of them. He still doesn’t understand that he’ll never lead (or will last as long as A. Downer if he does) because he’s about as popular as bubonic plague. I know that John Howard never got where he did on massive personal electoral appeal (at least before he was already a 2-term PM), and no-one really warmed to Rudd personally when he started pushing himself. But I maintain that Abbott’s personal unpopularity is at a whole new level.

      And you can’t praise someone for their frankness and contribution to public debate, without also acknowledging the down side that explains why so few pollies do it: putting yourself out there on any given issue, is like painting a target on yourself, both for the substance of your view and because you’ll be accused of being a sell-out hypocrite if the party ultimately comes to a different view and you toe the line.

      Mark Latham wrote plenty of books on public policy, and would be happy to share his frank view on any given issue.

    • Joe says:

      04:01pm | 28/07/09

      Its good to have a man of conviction like Tony Abbott in parliament. With most pollies they have to check the daily briefing email each day to see what they stand for and believe in. Don’t want to cross the person next likely to give them a promotion by having an opinion… They are mostly just faceless drones. They wouldn’t make a stand to protect their own mother if it meant loosing a promotion or, gasp!, their preselection.

      Other pollies who aren’t scared to speak their mind include Barnaby Joyce and Ron Boswell. We need more pollies with a spine like this, not faceless drones…

    • Ben from Perth says:

      04:06pm | 28/07/09

      @Simon H - stay tuned to Latham’s AFR column, I’m sure there’s a frank view of Battlelines on the way

    • john.rodda@rmit.edu.au says:

      04:22pm | 28/07/09

      Tony Abbott says he doesn’t think that the xcience is settled on “climate” change, and that he’s rather a sceptic.  However, he advocates voting for the government’s Emissions Trading Scam because he (erroneously) thinks it is to the benefit of the Liberal party to do so,  We don’t need politicians who put a supposed benefit to their party above the benefit to the people.

    • Clinton Duncan says:

      05:39pm | 28/07/09

      If he speaks his mind why did he lie on national TV about meeting with Cardinal Pell?

    • anne says:

      10:14pm | 28/07/09

      even though there are women who dont like Tony Abbotts views ,I believe he has women’s best interests at heart and has compassion and respect for women.Even though Abbott is very anti abortion he is not denigrating of women but believes as I and many others believe that abortion is a tragic choice not just for babies but for women.He is committed to offering pregnant women better options than abortion .Abbott does not look down on women who have abortions but strongly disagrees with their choice.I know many women who are big supporters of his views

    • Tony Zegenhagen says:

      12:28pm | 20/08/09

      Tony, until recently certainly had the respect of many in our party.  He quite often reffered to himself as the DLP within the liberal party.

      His recent backflip on the CPRS certainly has changed all that.  It clearly shows that Tony is putting his career ahead of his principles.

      Its hard to find anyone in Queensland that supports this scheme and had the coalition stood firm, they most certainly could have withstood the Rudd’s government bluff.  Rudd would not have gone to the polls with the Qld/Bligh government is total dissarray.

      No doubt Tony would be aware of this and he would also be aware of this horrific consumption tax that he is now supporting.  A consumption tax that in no way benefits the community or the environment.

      Was he being loyal to the Failing Malcolm (who couldnt stand up for anything) or was he dropping his principles to gain support for his leadership.

      One will never know .....but on this occasion he has lost far more than he would have gained by standing firm.


      Tony Zegenhagen
      State Secretary -
      Democratic Labor Party - Queensland

    • Kathryn says:

      11:34am | 15/02/10

      Simone, how unbelievably biased you are!  You and that fool Tony Abbott deserve each other.  You both have the same extremely narrow viewpoint of the world; an identical, smug and grossly hypocrital attitude towards anyone that doesn’t share your extreme antiquated right wing views and the same apparent lack of informed, educated rationale that it takes to be leaders in today’s society.  There’s more chance of Pope converting to Islam than Tony Abbott winning the next election!  Fortunately, most thinking people in Australia today see through his revolting hypocrisy and the lackies (like you) that pander to him.  Go away!

    • Richard says:

      12:40pm | 15/02/10

      So that explains why the latest polling in Qld and WA puts the Coalition ahead of Labor by 51 to 49 after preferences?

      It only takes around 10,000 people to change the way they voted last election to put the Coalition back into power, so I wouldn’t be too sure of that.

    • alan cotterell says:

      01:03pm | 15/02/10

      So Tony Abbott speaks his mind?  Now wonder he doesn’t say much!

    • Macca Streeth says:

      02:40pm | 15/03/10

      I’m sure that the point oh-five percent of the population gullible enough to vote for this clown think he’s a great chap. The rest of us believe in evolution and know the environment is in trouble, we can’t afford to let a moron run our beautiful country. As if Rudd wasn’t bad enough.

    • Diana Mulholland says:

      03:19pm | 15/03/10

      Abbot is the Sarah Palin of Australian politics. ‘Nuff said.

    • Sally says:

      01:08am | 24/06/10

      pfft…lost me at the first line, couldn’t read on after being informed I “have to respect” Tony Abbott… um… why exactly. He strikes me as particularly and unusally undeserving of respect. He is, in short, a fool. There is no rule in life that says if you are consistantly foolish, you get to be respected. No way.

    • nfp says:

      01:27am | 30/03/11

      Dear Author
      As you are the only person who claims to know what Tony Abbot stands for could you please give the rest of us a hint?

 

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