When Minchin starts bagging Turnbull, it means Abbott's in huge trouble. Barry Everingham comments.
Nick Minchin is one of those old fashioned, take no prisoners, right-wing reactionaries who trashed the softer caring side of the once great Liberal Party of Bob Menzies.
So when Malcolm Turnbull spoke at the National Press Club about the sad loss of two of the few remaining moderate Liberals – Mal Washer and Judi Moylan – Minchin wrote a strongly-worded letter to the Liberal Party election sheet, The Australian.
Minchin, a political warhorse if ever there was one, has more than likely tested the political water and realised that Tony Abbott, although overseas and on leave, is on the verge of politically imploding.
His childish and irresponsible take on climate change and his lack of a coherent alternative gives Turnbull the opening he – and I suspect half of the Liberals – want.
Turnbull’s detractors seem to have forgotten that Abbott scraped into the leadership by just one vote.
One.
They know, along with most of their colleagues, that Julia Gillard while ever Abbott is Opposition leader is not all that embattled.
The Australian public are not mugs.
Abbott’s constant carping and negativity, his failure to produce one policy to take to an election, and his decision to elevate the detritus of the Parliamentary Party to his front bench is taking its toll.
The behaviour of the likes of dopey Peter Dutton, foul-mouthed Sophie Mirabella, both the Bishops, ‘Hard’ Cory Bernardi, the Parliament’s chief clown Chris Pyne and the bumbling Barnaby Joyce – to name just a few – does Abbott no good at all.
Turnbull hit a very raw Minchin nerve by asking, almost begging, the Liberals not to lurch to the Right.
That is surely Turnbull shorthand for get rid of Abbott before it’s too late.
And no wonder Minchin is spitting chips — he organised Abbott’s numbers to topple Turnbull.
And for Minchin to accuse Turnbull, as he has, of being incapable of getting over his loss to Abbott is absolutely laughable.
Turnbull wipes the floor with most of colleagues when he gets up to speak — none of Abbott’s insane mouth frothing, stuttering, umming, ahhring.
None.
Along with Gillard, Turnbull states his case with clarity, with an air of authority and with substance.
Minchin sees his creation imploding — and for the sake of the Liberals and the nation the sooner that happens the better.
