That hissing sound is the Peter Costello bubble deflating.
It’s not just Michelle Grattan pointing out that Liberals are getting sick of Costello’s apparently endless indecision. You could, if you were one of Costello’s dwindling number of supporters, blame that on his crack about her needing new glasses earlier this year.
But it has spread to News Ltd, the home of the “Pete for Leader” push. The Telegraph, on the back of Steve Lewis’s scoop of some of the details of the forthcoming book, has given him a huge serve. For once – how often can you say this? — the Tele is dead right. Costello’s behaviour in recent weeks has been anything but that of a leader. The revelation that he was gulled by the oldest trick in the book — wait just a bit longer mate, and it’ll be your go — won’t do anything to strengthen his pretensions to the Liberal leadership.
Costello’s not helping himself. After months of intriguing silence, now that he’s actually saying things, it’s apparent there’s not much actually there. He came to life in the chamber the other week – before he bailed out to go to America, thereby missing the interest rate cut and the Howard shindig. But his repeated interjection of “blame game, blame game”, and claiming he had got a bigger crowd at his testimonial than the Prime Minister had at a speech, weren’t exactly brilliant stuff.
Not so easy without the bully pulpit of the Treasury benches eh Hamlet? Wilson Tuckey usually manages better than that, especially when he hasn’t taken his medication.
It’s also not a good look to go over to the United States and bag the Australian economy from afar. Malcolm Turnbull was complaining last week about Wayne Swan having done exactly that earlier this year. Costello’s incisive analysis was that “big mistakes have been made in Australia.” He didn’t actually get around to saying what those mistakes might have been.
Better to have stayed silent, Peter, and maintain the illusion of substance. Let’s hope the book has a bit more content.
Someone else who needs to seriously take a vow of silence is Tony Abbott. The Mad Monk needs to become the Trappist Monk. The bloke apparently cannot help but offer a running commentary on the leadership, which is great for the media but terrible for his party, which is getting sick of him.
A couple of weeks ago a senior Liberal complained to Crikey about Abbott’s big mouth and need for media attention, and Joe Hockey has now given him a serve too. Hockey is right — if Abbott (who also has a book to promote) wants to be a media figure, he needs to leave politics first. There’s presumably a job at The Australian waiting for him. We know Opposition is boring, Tony, but the trick is to convince the electorate you should be back in government. You’re doing the opposite.
Costello needs to end this rubbish next week at his book launch. If he takes off on his book tour without clarifying what he is doing, it will look like the ultimate self-indulgence — spruiking his book while his party flounders. His reputation will go from that of someone his party always wondered about, to that of someone his party is glad they never let near the top job.
No doubt there is a vast difference between reporting facts and expressing opinion, Sure don’t have to agree with Mr Keane’s opinions. The facts will win out – I hope.
Dear Mr Costello
On behalf of lots of Australians I’d like to be as honest as you say you are. Even in your hey-day you must have had an inkling your political, personal and professional impact wasn’t all that stellar. Repeated stays on leadership, hordes of cautious colleagues, a party pecking order that super-glued you to second base and an eroding constituency that must have really alarmed you. Any normal person who’d once doubled as a Prime Minister would feel a goose seeing themselves perched at the back of the parliament after years of nearly leading it. Drawing up a policy that divided the nation’s workforce and undermined your party at the last election is an ideal cue for a graceful political departure? It’s time to put your cards (or book) on the table and show a bit of toss. It’s really divisive to ruin your party’s chances of moving on and it’s really weird to hang around like a bad smell. But if that’s what turns you on you should tell us that too. We’ve had loads of MPs with all sorts of fetishes; we’d just like to know yours.
Regards ordinary Aussie.
Bernard is right about Costello. If he thinks that “big mistakes have been made in Australia,” he should have told us what they were. The only possibility I can think of is Wayne Swan jawboning down consumer spending by warning about inflation, but I don’t think that was a mistake. I think our inflation rate and interest rate rises would have been even higher if he hadn’t blown the whistle on the inflation threat when he did and we would now be facing a much steeper downturn brought on by the Reserve Bank’s tightening of monetary policy. I think Wayne Swan, Kevin Rudd and Glenn Stevens have finessed the challenge brilliantly. Peter Costello never faced a difficult economic challenge such as this.
JamesK, in answer to your question about those who are delusional yet unwavering (hmm, reminds me of a Labor leader of recent years), the checks and balances are the party room and the electorate. Unlike Keating, Costello was adamant he could do nothing about the backbenchers whose careers had enjoyed success under a once very popular but waning PM. Just because someone won’t back you at the first ballot doesn’t mean there can’t be more ballots where they might vote differently. An obvious point to anyone who remembers 1991, but clearly not Costello.
Thanx Venise but it sounds now that Dave did preempt tonight’s news…..Costello has supposedly re-declared his intention to leave politics. When will Malcolm strike?