Federal Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson has called for a leadership vote tomorrow. Way to overshadow “Tip” Costello’s book launch! Will Malcolm Turnbull really have the numbers he claims behind him for the win?
Possum has Nelson’s press release over at Pollytix, and a commentor at Pollbludger relays the rumour that Tony Abbott may have done a deal with Turnbull and be contesting the deputy position as well (but has the deputy position been declared vacant along with the leader position?).
Someone’s memoirs about the last year or so in the Liberal Party ought to make good reading eventually (not Tip’s, by all accounts, but I reckon Brendan could give good memoir in the fullness of time).
Categories: arts & entertainment, Politics
Vale John Clarke #PutOutYourGumboots 
Today was a singing day 
Are cultural politics worse than no politics at all? 
The 62nd Down Under Feminists Carnival 
Hoyden About Town 
Ken L at Surfdom weighs in:
Watta hoot.
Followed the LP link, but they didn’t even give you credit for continuing your Willow macro. Shame.
DEM, I’m not following you there: Kim’s been a Buffy fan for ages. I don’t think any credit is owed to anyone but Whedon for her use of the “bored now” phrase.
Just been reading some speculation about Joe Hockey – I’d be surprised if he contends this time around. Hockey looks more like he’s waiting to eel through some gaps in a year or two when others crash and burn. Abbott also looks to be relying on what someone described as the Stephen Bradbury strategy, but he’s wearing bigger blinders so is more likely to come a cropper in the attempt.
Turbull had the numbers. Who would have thought? (Apart from him obviously). I hope Abbot doesn’t become the deputy, although if he does it might make swinging voters think twice about voting Liberal. Joe Hockey would be a good deputy.
I’m just sad we’ll never have the hilarious team of Abbott and Costello in change of the libs.
One theory going around my office is that Costello (a Nelson supporter) will stay on longer and consider challenging Turnbull (whom he dislikes). I can’t say that I see it happening, but you never know with Costello, really. He might actually grow a spine.
Sorry, TigTog. Credit where it is due, it was Lauredhel who proposed a macro on the Mt Isa thread.
Post 33.
I can’t see where anyone has used my macro – am I missing something?
Julie Bishop remains the deputy, the deputy position was not declared vacant for contesting. Her numbers in the WA MPs are too important for her to be tossed aside without splitting the party even more.
I’m surprised Nelson didn’t take a shadow-cabinet position though. Sulking off to the backbench looks rather truculent.
I just caught Turnbull on the 7:30 Report, which I always find amusing– I swear that he and Kerry flirt with each other. 🙂
Seriously though, I was sad to see that he toed the party line on equal marriage (“We don’t want to discriminate against gay and lesbian people, we just don’t want them to get married!”), since I had hoped that he might force Rudd to be more progressive on that issue. Grrr.
* Turnbull’s being very effectively wedged over the silvertail stuff – as someone said over at LP, waving the “I lived in a rented flat once” flag was merely an invitation to others to tell much harder-luck stories, and the real talking point is in who his close associates are now anyway. He’s obviously uneasy with some of the compromise positions that he has to take to appease the party’s Right, such as the gay marriage issue, and there’s probably some money to be made on picking the right date for a spectacular loss of temper in public over some of these opposing pressures needling him just that little bit to hard.
* Bob Ellis has reviewed Costello’s biography. It’s worth reading – the man knows how to spin a phrase, and is at his best when there’s a bit of spite behind it. He at least acknowledges that he has a reason for a jaundiced view of Costello regarding that lawsuit a few years ago, which Costello doesn’t mention at all in the book.