The Liberal Party of Australia is currently looking like Bambi after that unfortunate remark about Godzilla’s body odor. Not at all well. In an unprecedented display of something, most of the front bench of the Opposition resigned en masse.
Opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull is also now running approximately third in a two horse leadership race between former Minister Tony Abbott and Liberal veteran Joe Hockey.
The reason for this unseemly frenzy of principles and dedication?
Australia’s Emissions Trading Scheme. Turbull wanted a few amendments to the government’s proposals. He also thought that being the only political party in the developed world (apart from the GOP) which was unable to address the emissions issues was somewhat out of touch with reality. The government was prepared to negotiate, because it wanted something to show the world at Copenhagen. It was also threatening an election, under certain circumstances, which on current polls would massacre the Liberals.
The rest of the Liberal Party, however, had other ideas, and didn’t even want to consider negotiations.
An agreement on the ETS scheme was eventually reached after considerable tantrum-throwing and an actual split motion which could have forced a leadership challenge there and then. The deal, apparently, was on.
Then it wasn’t necessarily on. The front bench revolt may yet scupper the approval of the emissions training scheme in the Senate. There are some independents in the Senate who can block legislation, the Greens aren’t impressed with the ETS scheme, and the government wants Liberal support.
There’s some cultural black humor here. The anti-ETS brigade claim their electorates have been melting the phones on the subject of the ETS. In practice, the coal lobby and others are more likely to be applying pressure, and
the white anting of Turnbull is the more probable political reason.
Few Liberal leaders can claim to have received so little support from the party. Even John Howard, whose back was full of conservative cutlery at various stages of his career, received some genuine, consistent, support.
Meanwhile Australia watches and wonders, sourly, exactly how long this powder room drama can continue. Change of leadership usually means “forget the next election”.
The real wonder is what brought on this sudden outbreak of uncharacteristic and in this case quite unnecessary honesty.
The usual breakdown of party politics, which in Australia is entirely partisan in both Houses of Parliament, is “This is the party decision. Shut up and vote for it.”
The total number of known Federal Opposition front bench revolutions in Australian history?
One.
So the Australian public, bemused if not yet enchanted, watches as the sole remaining credible conservative party, (there were three, there’s now one and a bit) the “born to rule” version of the GOP, breaks every possible rule of Australian politics.
They’ve actually created a new one, “Don’t have front bench revolutions in Opposition”, while they were at it.
There’s a half Senate election due next year. It’ll be interesting to see who’s still around afterwards.
The soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful is well known for its lack of continuity. The Liberal Party has somehow managed The Mold and the Mutable as its version.
Will Malcolm find that farm?
Will Joe and Tony get the corner shop running again?
Is the Senate décor red for any unstated reasons?
Should it be changed to brown?
Meanwhile, according to the
Daily Telegraph the current odds are:
Abbott $2.75
Hockey $1.80
Turnbull $3.50
There’s no place odds, for some reason. On the other hand, we may have found a use for politicians which is acceptable to the Australian voter
and legal..
