Tony Abbott fights for his political life for the second time this year, as Malcolm Turnbull makes his move.
Malcolm Turnbull, with Julie Bishop in tow, has reportedly met with the Prime Minister to request a leadership ballot. With only the weekly Essential Research looming in the way of federal opinion polling this week, that seems as good an excuse as any to launch a new thread.
UPDATE (Two minutes later): Malcolm Turnbull has resigned from cabinet.
UPDATE 2 (10pm): Turnbull 54, Abbott 44.
Author: William Bowe
William Bowe is a Perth-based election analyst and occasional teacher of political science. His blog, The Poll Bludger, has existed in one form or another since 2004, and is one of the most heavily trafficked websites on Australian politics.
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I see Morrison as the big winner tonight. He is now in a very pivotal position in the party.
[1989
confessions
Hopefully this means the end of Andrews’, Brandis’ and Dutton’s ministerial careers.]
…Hockey, Abetz, Ciobo, Hunt, Pyne…
Tingle the pick of the press gallery. It was obvious to me from hearing repeats of his media event after QT that Turnbull is trying to reshape the debate around debt and deficit from the simplistic to the more nuanced.
Mumble has said this would happen if Abbott was switched out for MT and has said this is one reason why ALP needs to get its shit together and start to account for its years in office economically.
I guess we will see whether shit’s about to get real for the oppoisiton with MT rhetoric.
The cats! The cats! They know about the cats!!
@briefly
Ciobo and Pyne? Don’t think so. The rest, absolutely.
briefly
Pyne is getting Defence to keep the subs in Adelaide. He backed Turnbull. He’s already leaked it to the Advertiser.
[teh_drewski
Posted Monday, September 14, 2015 at 11:27 pm | PERMALINK
Surely Abbott will simply bow out at the next election.]
I think Hockey definitely will.
[2006
Diogenes
briefly
Pyne is getting Defence to keep the subs in Adelaide. He backed Turnbull. He’s already leaked it to the Advertiser.]
That will help them in SA…and hurt them in Victoria and WA…
Looks like I was wrong. I never thought that the Liberals would have Turnbull again, that if Abbott fell over it would be another far right nutjob.
victoria@1997
And you and confessions etc claim not to be cultists.
But you all keep returning to Rudd to stick the knife in a bit more.
Get over it.
Thats right, Shorten has taken the greatest prize of all: a sitting PM.
But wait, the big loser is Bill Shorten. All the MSM agree on this. Defeating a sitting PM is a big loss for the Opposition. Not a reflection of course on the integrity or skill of LP. The ALP is completely friendless in the MSM … its as if the worse the LP’s failure the more the MSM have to excuse it.
Seriously no press conference from the incumbent PM after he is dumped by his partyroom? This is almost Lathamesque!
Fulvio @ 2004
THE CAT IS A LIAR!
Darn
Who was the talking head Referring to the dirt file?
[I think Hockey definitely will.]
Hockey couldn’t possibly do anything other than politics, he’d have to stay.
[2005
PhoenixGreen
@briefly
Ciobo and Pyne? Don’t think so. The rest, absolutely.]
I can’t abide any of them 🙂
briefly@2008
There will be work contracted out to Vic & WA.
bemused
Ffs the only cultist here is you. I dont give a rats what you say about Gillard. But anytime Rudd is mentioned, you chuck a spaz. Grow up. It is beyond stupid and tiresome. good riddancd to Rudd. Who bloody cares
[Seriously no press conference from the incumbent PM after he is dumped by his partyroom? This is almost Lathamesque!]
Interesting you’d say that, well before the Turnbull – Abbott – Turnbull turntable warmed up the Rudd – Gillard – Rudd wars I was thinking that the appropriate comparison to Abbott was likely to be Latham. They can punch each other on irrelevant tv shows for other boof heads.
[2013
confessions
Seriously no press conference from the incumbent PM after he is dumped by his partyroom? This is almost Lathamesque!]
Like Latham, he will not be missed.
Hockey will get the Armenian Ambassador gig.
Barnarby!
victoria@2019
Yes, I respond to attacks on a former Labor PM, the one who brought an end to the Howard Govt.
Dio – was it Abbott who publicly convinced him to stay for the 2010 election or is my memory playing tricks on me?
Barnaby unwilling to break the coalition agreement because of the change of Liberal leadership.
Cue non-interest. How is this even news?
bemused
You call them attacks! Get over yourself. Just like we talk about other pollies ad nauseum, we can say what we want about Rudd. Deal with it. Surely you are mature enough to handle it
Stop the Gloats!
No Press Conference from Tony ?!
It would be funny if he does the same thing as Adam Giles & refuses to resign.
SA gets the subs, Vic gets more frigates, WA gets the patrol boats, the taxpayer gets the cheque.
[The commentariat believe that Abbott will not be spiteful and destructive like Rudd wAs]
And they’ve never been wrong about Abbott before of course. The comedy continues.
So, even Barnaby can face the press tonight, but no our brave PM??
He is probably still in shuddering brainlock. Wonder if he will turn up at work tomorrow??
2018
bemused
hope so
vic:
The guy’s a dick. Just ignore him ,everyone else does.
victoria@2027
Oh OK then. I shall just talk about Gillard in the same manner. Is that OK with you and the rest of the cult?
Barnaby’s speech has improved immeasurably since he moved from a Qld Senate seat to a lower house seat.
Teh, I’d accept the cheque, but I suspect I’ll more likely get the bill.
If the Nationals deal doesn’t go smoothly, we could become a truly multi-party democracy in the coming years. Unfortunately I think the Nationals will roll over as they always do.
briefly@2033
There is too much fragmentation of shipbuilding and other industries. Co-operation is the only way to go IMHO.
Fulvio – Shorten?
Whatever the commentariat think Abbott is going to do is completely worthless.
The commentariat has been wrong about this man since 1993. Time and time and time and time again. But he came to politics from being a leader writer at The Australian, so they took him in as one of them.
http://adamfgibson.com/2015/02/04/the-mark-of-a-man/
Press Gallery journalists! They remind me of that aphorism; ‘when the axe came in to the forest the trees said “the handle is one of us”.’
Our political system is fucked because of press gallery journalists. Who gives a fat rats clacker what the commentariat think. How about we start at, gee, I dunno, previous behaviour by Abbott as a starting point? Press gallery schmucks be fucked. And when you’re finished getting fucked go get fucked some more. Go and ask Pauline Hanson if Tony Abbott is capable of furious and vindictive vengeance? Or Berbie Banton’s family?
Abbott is a serial [redacted] and a demonstrated sociopath. He won’t take this lying down. He has Murdoch in his corner. This ain’t over.
[So, even Barnaby can face the press tonight, but no our brave PM??]
Says a lot, doesn’t it?
I so wanted to see an Abbott concession speech, but apparently it’s not to be.
steve777 @ 2009
[Looks like I was wrong. I never thought that the Liberals would have Turnbull again, that if Abbott fell over it would be another far right nut job.]
Me too. Time will tell how long the love-in lasts. The talking heads were saying that Abbott would not be a wrecker. Let’s see.
No, the one with 15% GST added.
Hopefully this will all be too much for Rupert and he will fall off his perch so to speak.
Victoria
It was Paul Sheehan.
Murdoch dined with Morrison when he was visiting last.
I expect that to be the great man’s next Vice-Regal appointment here.
Well said Travis Bickle. The commentariate has been consistently wrong about Abbott all along and nothing’s changed.
WWP @ 2020
[I was thinking that the appropriate comparison to Abbott was likely to be Latham.]
As I was. Whatever the consequences for Labor at the next election, I am pleased for the country that Captain Chaos is gone before he can do any more irreparable damage to our future.
We’ll see what action Turnbull takes to unwind Abbott’s policy positions, but at least we can hope he will not double down.
bemused
You always say nasty things about Gillard. I dont give a shit. It is old news