Yesterday, Crikey readers were a little less than convinced by the arguments (from Bernard Keane and Glenn Dyer) that Malcolm Turnbull would, in a universe where he wasn’t unceremoniously axed, be in a strong position to lead the LNP to victory at the next federal election. Whether it was the holes in his economic strategy, or simply the implausibility of a truly united Coalition, they weren’t buying it. Elsewhere, we had some notes on Scott Morrison’s campaign bus (which definitely isn’t a campaign bus, honest).
On a hypothetical Turnbull 2019 victory
The Curmudgeon writes: This theory requires the imagination of an alternative universe in which the Liberal Party is united behind Turnbull, the extreme right pull their head in and there is some connection between the concerns of the party and those of voters. As this was unimaginable even had Turnbull stayed on, I’ll back the old “disunity is death” theory over the elite-driven “good” economic news which will indeed be news to those trying to pay the bills.
jon kotsopoulos writes: I once called Costello’s “miracle economy” a debt fuelled time bomb. The economy is in an even more precarious state now with ballooning federal debt, negative wages growth, misleading headline inflation and a scarily low and finishing level of personal savings. It is widely acknowledged that Australia is currently much less well placed to handle a world wide economic slowdown. The average person instinctively knows the real situation and is unlikely to reward the LNP for their economic record no matter what Mr Keane thinks.
BeenAround writes: This article assumes that “good” economic data would boost the LNP’s chances at a federal election. I respectfully disagree. Whilst most Australians could not define what neoliberalism is, I am pretty sure they have decided that its manifestation through chaotic and lazy LNP policies is not what they want. I also think that the majority of Australians are thoroughly fed up with the influence the right wing nutters in the Liberal and National parties have on sensible coalition policy. So, regardless of this untestable speculation, I very much doubt Turnbull could have pulled off a win. And on Thursday night I suspect he will absolutely ensure that the current bunch of stint clowns have no chance.
Paddy writes: We’re actually all a lot better off with Scotty, because he doesn’t even have the emperor’s leather jacket to hide his stupidity.
On the ScoMo express
Franki Elliot writes: Kinda symbolic really: it’s his bus, but nobody is on it.
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On the contrary, the trumbull Misgovernment succeeded admirably at the one KPI that truly mattered to it and its patrons – trumbull’s spectacular deficit-driving services-destroying tax giveaways will enrich the richest, while reducing the budget funding available for the non-rich.
abbott, trumbull then morrison are simply the disposable front-men in the Noalition’s savage class warfare intended to be virtually the last act in enslaving us in debt serfdom. Since Hawke’s time, since 1983, the dominant agenda has been to cut wages, destroy entitlements, and sell our future to transnational capitalism.
Exactly as is intended by abbott and trumbull and morrison and the Right that owns them, the average Australian household has less disposable income in real terms than when their Misgovernments took power in 2013. As was pointed out by Greg Jericho in “The Guardian, “we are now so far from the old trend that wages are growing at nearly half the pace you would have expected them to given the current level of unemployment”. Worker-haters, CEOs, rejoice!
Good selection of photos boys. Turnbull is back to doing what he does best-hatching a nefarious plot with ill concealed triumph. I wonder how long he’s going to spin it out? Scott Morrison continually reaffirms his monumental stupidity and Tony Abbott-well, someone ought to toss him a bone.
I’m reminded of the three little maids from school (G&S)