We all know that the Colation relies upon Newscorp for its positive coverage but even it is increasingly reflecting the divisions between the Abbott and Turnbull wings of the party. From Andrew Bolt today:
The truth about Turnbull can no longer be dodged: in this form, he cannot lead the Liberals to victory.
Last week shocked many Coalition MPs.
First the Prime Minister allowed one of his best ministers, Josh Frydenberg, publicly float the idea of a new kind of carbon tax — an “emissions intensity scheme” in which coal-fired generators are forced to subsidise wind and solar farms.
“We’ll look at it,” Frydenberg said.
This was idiotic, especially when Australians had just seen what this green war costs: more blackouts in wind-powered South Australia, and a 10 per cent jump in electricity prices in Victoria after the announced closure of one of the state’s biggest coal-fired generators.
Outraged Liberal backbenchers revolted, and Turnbull in a panic humiliated Frydenberg, now deeply wounded.
Turnbull didn’t only scrap the suggested scheme, insisting he was against any such kind of emissions trading or carbon tax.
He also acted dishonourably.
He briefed journalists that the normally cautious Frydenberg had somehow gone off on some mad frolic of his own.
Cabinet ministers know this is false. They were in the Cabinet meeting when Frydenberg presented the terms of reference of his proposed inquiry into global-warming policies in front of Turnbull.
…This was made comically clear on the weekend when prominent journalist Paul Kelly published a piece in The Australian that seemed clearly the result of a briefing from Turnbull or an emissary.
Kelly, a Turnbull man, claimed it was a wild “fabrication” spread by the “far-Right [sic]” that “Turnbull, a progressive, had secretly planned to impose an emissions trading scheme”.
And on it goes.
Who will win the civil war? Bolt of course. It’ll take a year or more.
