In the opinion pages of this morning’s Australian, former John Howard chief-of-staff Arthur Sinodinos offered up some deep musings on the future for the departing member for Higgins, Peter Costello.
Sinodinos, fresh from quashing speculation on his own pre-selection bid for Brendan Nelson’s seat of Bradfield, presented three options for the former-Treasurer turned Fairfax columnist.
First, the corporate sector with some philanthropy and board work thrown in; second, execute a Colin Barnett-style reverse ferrett by knifing preferred successor Kelly O’Dwyer at the eleventh-hour and returning triumphant to Higgins, and the federal leadership, to save the party from electoral oblivion. And the third, by far the most intriguing, proposal?
Costello moving to Spring Street to topple state leader Ted Baillieu, and then seizing the helm of the state regarded as the Liberal Party’s political heartland. Sinodinos said Costello was a potential “game-changing” force south of the border.
Eager to explore this possibility, Crikey conducted a quick phone poll of senior Victorian Liberals. Who would jump on the Costello bandwagon? we wondered.
“Have a nice day,” said former state division president and long-term Costello fancier Michael Kroger.
IPA chief John Roskam (a former front-runner for Costello’s seat of Higgins) said he hadn’t read The Australian. “I’ll go and read it now”, he said, before hanging up.
Former state party director Julian Sheezel said he was “absolutely certain” Peter was going to retire from politics at the next federal election. “Peter’s comments have been very straight forward. Peter’s made his position very clear”, he added helpfully.
Former state opposition leader Denis Napthine dismissed the speculation as a Sinodinos “shower thought”.
Victorian Liberal Party president David Kemp offered a blunt “no comment” and said he was expecting another call so he couldn’t talk.
Jeff Kennett was in a board meeting and had his mobile switched off.
And Costello’s Parliament house office were aware of the Sinodinos article but refused to comment.
Sorry Peter, but there it is.
The thought of Peter Costello running on the Victorian Liberal ticket would be beyond humourous, if it wasn’t for it’s grotesqueness.
What passes for Victoria’s opposition party has such an underwhelming appeal to the Victorian voter; the Liberal Party, rent by internecine bitchery, controlled by Michael Krüger-the thinking man’s poison-and led by an amiable but not overly bright member of the Melbourne establishment, individual conservatives are already conceding defeat for the 2010 election.
The thought of the terminally irritant, terminally ambitious, terminally lazy and cordially loathed Peter Costello jumping into the pool would be enough to invite mass suicide in the conservative ranks.
it would never happen… although, Costello is popular in Victoria (even if he is an Essendon supporter!).
I think it is quite refreshing, notwithstanding the the ALP is intimidated by Costello, that a politician is prepared to leave politics on his own terms, Nelson is another.
We have seen for too long the likes of Beazley, Tuckey et al hang around politics for too long and becoming… basically, irrelevant to the electorate.
Venise – “cordially loathed”…. a lot of ALP supporters hate Peter Costello with a passion, not sure why, perhaps because of the comparison with Keating? however, I know alot of ALP supporters that actually like Costello (not often that happens!).
SIMMOBC: It’s okay, I’m not hassled by your opinion, just thought it fair to give you one of the reasons I can’t stand the man. I live in the electorate of Higgins. Peter Costello is, therefore, my local member and apart from putting out some expensive literature from time to time, the man appears to have done bugger all for the electorate.
Whenever one of the locals does a rant about the value of PC I ask but what has he ever done for the electorate? Thus far I have yet to get an answer.
lol yeah I do understand, Armadale here…..
It’s often said that Costello personifies the saying “No guts, no glory” but the truth is that Costello was fated to be always the bridesmaid. Liberal party polling supported the public polling which said, time and again, that he was unelectable as a Prime Minister. In fact, if I recall correctly, his brother was deemed more electable.
With that reality staring him in the face, there was no way he could get the numbers to become leader.
I can’t see him wanting anything more to do with politics other than to lob the occasional grenade from the sidelines. Nope, an overseas posting to a cushy government job is right up his alley.