Congratulations on deciding to re-nominate. Politics is short on public intellectuals so hang in there (but be patient!). If any more vindication of your decision is needed then it is given in the article by Tony Wright “Hardest task is put on ice“… The Age, May 1. Some years ago I refused to renew my membership of the Liberal Party as a protest at Howard’s Iraq adventure. On Friday I received a letter from the Victorian branch asking me to rejoin — now that you are staying I will do just that!
Let’s not make Malcolm a martyr — he’s far from perfect.
But between Penny Wong’s talking points and Nick Minchin’s “Climategate” references on Q&A last night, we began to hanker for a time when there was such a thing as halfway sensible dialogue over, well, lots of issues, really. Abbott and co may be cutting through at the moment, just ask Newspoll, but in the meantime, Rudd continues to neuter any kind of policy that will give the coalition room to run a scare campaign. Which doesn’t leave much.
So welcome back Mr Turnbull, we’ll be watching you on Twitter with interest …
Yes, I agree that Turnbull is a much better debater of public policy than Abbott and Rudd. I wonder whether Turnbull was pursuaded to return to the fray by big business which will be determined to remove Abbott from the Liberal leadership should he lose the next election.
Malcolm on Twitter: 140 characters shows just how far above the rest of them he is. As a lefty, it’s worrying. As a citizen though, I thank him. And look forward to seeing the party crushed! Just joking.
@ DLEW919
I’m not so sure that Turnbull is worrying for the left.
It will be great for the ALP from 5 minutes after the 2010 election cos Turnbull will agitate for his return to the Liberal leadership, and then there will be continuing in-fighting between the right and left of the party for at least a year.
Should Turnbull consolidate his leadership of the Libs he would move them towards the centre. In response the ALP would have to edge towards the left to differentiate itself. Thus a rational political contest between a Turnbull Liberal Party and Labor should be good for the left cos it would move Labor (slightly) to the left.
However, I agree that political contests are not entirely rational. It is just as possible that Labor could try to contest the centre-right of politics with Turnbull and be soundly beaten by a much better Turnbull Coalition in the 2013 election, which I presume is the scenario you envisage.
Wise, wise Crikey. Wanting a “halfway sensible dialogue” on, well, anything…
This from a Crikey which misconstrued the political and economic ramifications of climate millenarianism from the start.
Rudd owes Turnbull a big favour. Turnbull relieved Rudd of the ETS. And gave him the feral Abbott- an advantage lost because of Rudd’s hubris and incompetence, a bureaucrat relying on bureaucrats to intervene in the real world (insulation, green loans etc).
We can but hope that Santamaria’s bastard will run true to form and expose his anti-worker, anti-environmental attitudes. Abbott’s hostility to the long-overdue surtax on miners suggests he may yet rescue Rudd from electoral ignominy.
Turnbull’s return is bad news for everyone. We may yet end up with an ETS, a rortfest to dwarf the rash of million-dollar portables and shonky batt-stuffers. Worst of all, we’ll have to listen to Penny Wong’s endless, numbing drone for another decade…
Good on you Malcolm, and please hang-in there! You’re time will come.