Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire: The Liberals Change Leaders
Angus Taylor’s leadership win may signal change, but with internal division, an imminent by-election, and Labor circling, the Liberals’ “new era” already looks fraught with danger.
Today’s change of Liberal leadership is a case of ‘out of the frying pan, and into the fire’.
Angus Taylor is an improvement on Sussan Ley, but he’s hardly the saviour.
Does anyone remember Angus Taylor putting real heat on the government? On energy? On the economy? On immigration?
A butter knife has more cut-through.
When Chief Whip Aaron Violi announced the leadership ballot to the press, he was asked what he thought of Taylor’s 34 to 17 win.
He replied “Ug” and then walked away…
No Honeymoon in Farrah
Sussan Ley’s concession speech was generous and gracious.
The only hint of negativity was the comment that she hoped the new leader would receive “clear air”, which was something “not always afforded to new leaders”.
Translation: enjoy the crossfire, Angus.
Ley will quit politics in the next few weeks.
That means Angus Taylor will face a by-election almost immediately — thrusting him straight into a three-way slugfest with the Nationals and One Nation.
Honeymoon period? What honeymoon?
And if, as many expect, the Liberals fail to hold Farrah — where Sussan Ley has been the member for 25 years — then Taylor will be under enormous pressure, as if he’s not already.
Labor Fires First
Within moments of Taylor taking the poisoned Liberal chalice, Labor had put out advertisements slamming him.
In a post to social media, a voiceover asks: “So, who is new Liberal leader Angus Taylor?”
“He’s just another Liberal.
“He’s a leftover from the Morrison government. A shadow treasurer with Peter Dutton, Taylor was the architect of Liberal policies for higher taxes, bigger deficits, more debt, getting rid of work from home, sacking of tens of thousands of frontline workers, and a $600 billion taxpayer funded nuclear scheme.
“And Taylor worked from day one to undermine the Liberals’ first female leader.
“Angus Taylor, just another Liberal.”
Does that ad tell you more about Taylor or about the ALP?
It wasn’t enough for Labor to point out Taylor’s policy record. They had to play the gender card.
Taylor may have ousted the Liberals’ first female leader. But it was Anthony Albanese who helped to oust the country’s first female Prime Minister.
Labor loves Julia Gillard… right up until they need to pretend that she never existed.
A Party Still Divided
Taylor won today’s leadership vote convincingly. And yet, a third of the Liberal Party still voted for Sussan Ley this morning, despite the fact that he is barely more popular than Bad Bunny.
What does that tell you?
Oh, and Jane Hume won the race for deputy leader, convincingly beating Ted O’Brien by 10 votes.
Just on that, can you believe there was one informal vote?
This is a party that wants to run the country, but can’t ensure every MP can correctly complete a ballot paper in a room with 50 colleagues and no time pressure.
Speaking of ineptitude, there was a moment this morning that perfectly encapsulated Sussan Ley’s nine months as leader.
Ley walked into the party room with seven moderate MPs supporting her. At which point, another of her allies, Melissa Price, quickly left the party room and re-entered behind the leader.
They couldn’t even stage manage a show of unity.
Price, incidentally, was the first eliminated in the deputy contest. Which suggests the party room does, occasionally, notice things.
The expected by-election in Farrah will be a test of Pauline Hanson, too. Can she translate what people are telling pollsters into ticks on a ballot paper?
The result will either be sobering or exhilarating for the One Nation leader.
So Angus Taylor now holds the Liberal leadership — a prize that currently resembles a cursed artefact from an Indiana Jones film.
He wanted the crown. Now he gets to wear it. We’ll see if he wears it well.
___
Republished with thanks to The James Macpherson Report. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
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Some very witty and piercing commentary. Great work James Macpherson.
except, who’s farrah? dont force it, but is getting the name of the division wrong just part of the witty and piercing commentary?
Well said, James. Sussan Ley’s sudden resignation has caught One Nation by surprise before they have any time to prepare their campaign.
50 years of both Labor + Liberals wrecking Australia’s economy, defence, etc. What miracle are the Liberals going to execute to restore Australia ? And WHEN ? Why haven’t they done something a long time ago ? I will never forgive PM Howard for taking our guns off us and selling our Gold Reserves. It was Labor PM Whitlam who illegally altered our Constitution without a referendum, and who implemented Multiculturalism. It was Liberal PM Fraser who imported the people who now want to destroy our democracy and turn us into another Iran. None of us are safe any more. Jews are fleeing Australia.
Jane Hume. In favor of late-term abortions in Queensland hospitals which leave premature babies gasping for breath, dying alone in agony without any material comfort or human consolation – in HOSPITALS. The abandoned baby, quite the icon of our fiercely selfish, anti-God, anti-natal ruling ideology. Until we have leaders who espouse respect for human beings from conception to natural death, we will continue to perish. Until the diabolical Fabian ideology is wrenched from its pedestal in our Parliaments and mainstream media, Australia will continue to plummet into third-world chaos, insanity and crime. Jane Hume is a very bad choice.
https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Joanna+Howe+%2b+Jane+Hume&mid=E286BED6617494F06506E286BED6617494F06506&mmscn=stvo&FORM=VIRE
The comment that suggests Taylor might be a good choice comes from Malcolm Turnbull:
“The curious thing a lot of people say about Angus Taylor is he is the best qualified idiot they’ve ever met,” Turnbull told the ABC.
From which I deduce that Malignant is no pal of Angus.
And history has proven that when you’ve got Turnbull for a foe, you’re likely doing something right.
Praying for you Angus. A step in the right direction for the Liberals.