It's a coup that in the interests of the economy and the country more generally should have taken place a long time ago. However like Rudd before him, Turnbull seems to suffer from the paradoxical affliction whereby he is adored by the public but loathed by his parliamentary colleagues. It's interesting therefore that they have now taken the step of installing their bete noire in the Lodge. One would like to think they did it for the right reasons, but the reality is that with Abbott at the helm many of them would be at severe risk of losing their seats and with it, their generous superannuation entitlements. Far better to have the despised Turnbull running the show than to have to go out and actually find a job outside politics.
For mine Turnbull has always been an interesting case. It's convenient for detractors on both sides to portray him as a typical eastern suburbs toff, but the fact is that he came from quite humble beginnings and his wealth was amassed solely as a result of his own endeavours. Also unlike 90 per cent of his colleagues he has actually worked in the real world and as such, has a sound grasp of business and economics which the country desperately needs in its leaders. It would be difficult therefore to see the first Turnbull budget being derided so roundly as the first Hockey / Abbott budget.
In terms of his motivation for entering politics, clearly he doesn't need the cash so he may be a fairly unique case in Canberra in that he is doing it for all the right reasons. Finally, and perhaps most pleasingly, he appears to be a "Liberal" in the true sense of the word and socially progressive in his thinking. This might be apostasy to some of the hard-right lunatics in caucus who think women should stay in the kitchen, refugee boats ought to be used for target practice and slavery should be reintroduced, however by aiming for the middle ground, he is likely to further enhance his standing with the public not to mention engage more productively with the other parties in a bid to try and find compromise on important policy matters such as the China free-trade agreement.
As someone who for the last 5 years has wanted to throw a brick through the television whenever a politician comes on the screen, I am probably as optimistic as I have been since Howard got the boot in 2007 and Obama ended 8 baleful years of Republican rule not long after. In both those cases the optimism proved to be misplaced as Obama failed to spend his political capital when he had control of both Congress and the Executive, and Rudd did what Rudd does, ie alienate everyone he works with. However, Turnbull strikes me as a more impressive individual than those two put together so things don't have to go down the same disappointing path here.
Malcolm, you are no doubt getting advice from many people at the moment on how to fix the mess that Howard/Rudd/Gillard/Rudd/Abbott have got us into, but for what it's worth I'd like to put the following on the table for your government to consider:
- Prioritise things that matter to most people. The pet obsessions that used to keep Abbott up at night like a few hundred boat arrivals a year, stopping gay people from getting married and reintroducing knighthoods - I'm telling you, no-one could give a stuff about these things. What the public are concerned about is the toxic partisan debate in Canberra which prevents anything from getting done, the severe lack of business confidence, an anaemic economy which can't seem to get going again now that mining investment has stalled and how the hell our kids are going to be able to afford their own house so we can ship them out of ours at a reasonable age. Deal competently with these things and re-election will surely follow.
- Promote Andrew Robb. While he is part of the hard right faction, at least he has a brain and while Hockey, Pyne and Dutton have been making a mess of everything they touch, he has been quietly going about his job as trade minister in a competent fashion and will be an asset to the team going forward. He might also prove useful in keeping the more insane people in the party like Cory Bernardi and Eric Abetz in check in case they get delusions of bringing back Abbott down the track.
- Tone down the ridiculous terrorism rhetoric. If the ultimate objective of spending the obscene amounts of money currently deployed towards hunting down ISIL operatives in Noble Park or Mt Druitt is in fact to save lives, then how about re-allocating some of the dough to tackling some of things which actually kill people. For example, domestic violence, youth suicide and obesity?
- Engage collaboratively with Labor. Apart from enabling you to get things done without relying on the eccentricities of Jacqui Lambie, Bob Katter or the Brick with Eyes, it will make Shorten and his team seem churlish if they refuse to come to the negotiating table. It may also have the happy effect of making Shorten come up with some actual policies as opposed to just relying on the fact that he isn't Abbott.
- Tread warily on climate change issues for now. Let's be realistic, while you are an intelligent and pragmatic man, most of your colleagues on the hard right are not, and more than likely are creationists who think the world is only 6000 years old and that scientists are an inconvenient distraction sent by Satan to test our religious faith. You won't get anywhere trying to employ science and logic with this lot, so don't die in a ditch over it.
- I strongly encourage you to make all important decisions via the Cabinet as ultimately this is what brought your predecessor undone. However if you do want to make one "Captain's Call" during your time in office, try and get the Republic back on the table. As former Chairman of the ARM no doubt the issue is somewhere near the front of your mind, and if we frame the question properly this time instead of the manner in which that weasel Howard set it up to fail, I am sure that it would stand a good chance of success this time. And think of the legacy you would leave by guiding Australia to becoming a republic.
