There is, believe it or not, a political leader more prone to debacles than Malcolm Turnbull, and under more threat from a rival than Nathan Rees.

Queensland’s Liberal National leader John-Paul Langbroek has had the week from hell. And it wasn’t so long since his previous week from hell.

At the start of August, Langbroek was forced to sack his chief of staff following revelations of an amended email used to justify taxpayers funding billboards promoting Langbroek. Shortly afterward the party forced the sacking of four of Langbroek’s office staff. He had also been forced to accept former Lawrence Springborg adviser and close friend Jake Smith as “chief strategist”.

There are persistent rumours that Springborg wants to return to the LNP leadership he surrendered after his third election as Opposition Leader ended in defeat earlier this year. Springborg is said to be convinced he is entitled to the Premiership and, given the current dire position of the Bligh Government in the polls, he might be proven right between now and 2012.

He has to knock off Langbroek first, however.

This week’s debacle began when the LNP’s Question Time tactics committee — which consists of Langbroek, Smith and Springborg — decided to pursue the Bligh Government over the payment of $70,000 to Labor Holdings, a key Labor investment vehicle and donor, by the Australian Workers Heritage Centre, which had received State Government funding. In fact the payments turned out to be six years old and were repayment for a loan made by Labor Holdings to the Centre.

(Incidentally, only News Ltd would portray a stuff-up by an Opposition Leader as a Government gaffe.

But it got much, much worse for Langbroek.

Vaughan Johnson, Langbroek’s shadow minister for police, corrections and sport, was on the centre board when the loan was negotiated with Labor Holdings. Johnson is respected across both sides in Queensland politics, and has said he was unaware that Langbroek was going to launch the attack.

Langbroek has since apologised to Johnson. Smith is said to have apologised to Langbroek and the party for the error. But there are plenty of suspicions Langbroek was set up by Springborg. The conspiracy theory de jour is that Springborg is unable to muster the numbers for a successful coup against Langbroek, which had been planned for this week, and was hoping to peel Johnson away from Langbroek.

Whatever the case may be, it appears Springborg knew Johnson, who was a shadow Minister and board member while Springborg was leader, was on the centre board at the time — indeed, may have attended functions with Johnson at the Centre at Barcaldine.

Langbroek should be cruising — in the polls the LNP is streets ahead of a Government rattled by mischievous lobbyists, party disunity and a festering privatisation debate. Instead the only real question is how long before Springborg secures the numbers.

Today the Government was highlighting that the LNP had paid nearly $2500 to psychotherapist Jackie Furey in 2008. Furey is the principal of Bedrooms to Boardrooms, the focus of which is to is to “help people maximise performance in their personal lives and in their professional careers”, including such issues as “Men and women and the ‘bit’ in the middle”.

Amongst other things, Furey specialises in relationship counselling, child & adolescent therapy, conflict resolution, and family mediation. All of which are currently needed by the LNP leadership.