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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.

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Republished with thanks to The James Macpherson Report. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.