Hopeless for Tony

From Laura Tingle:

National security. The way things are going in Canberra these days, it feels so, well, Monday.

The Prime Minister’s statement on national security – that old reliable issue for conservative prime ministers in trouble –seemed but like a distant memory by Thursday.

…The government’s shoddy attempts to end Professor Gillian Triggs job has instead put a cloud over the Attorney-General George Brandis, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Prime Minister Tony Abbott…The government was so cocky in thinking this was a “beltway” issue, it did not notice that many casual observers only saw an aggressive PM belting the reputation of a woman.

And from Dad’s Army:

Less than three weeks after Prime Minister Tony Abbott survived a party room vote, leadership tensions at the top of the government have emerged yet again.

The Seven Network and the ABC have reported that Malcolm Turnbull has been told he has the numbers to topple Abbott.

But a government insider and Abbott supporter says Mr Turnbull just doesn’t have the numbers.

As The Abbottalypse explodes in all directions we’ve seen some sudden good policy turns and bad. The foreign property restrictions are a major step forward for the country and the country-of-origin labeling shift was useful if too slow. If the assault on the Renewable Energy Target is wound back that too would be progress.

But the Budget only gets worse by the day with the framing narrative descending into farce as the PM promises all smiles but Joe Hockey all frowns, and the Gillian Triggs saga is a complete debacle, especially so since the Coalition has a good point to make about children in detention. Then there is the incredible revelations about the Credlin duumvirate and the Abbott invasion fetish, the aggressive leaking and a hostile press.

Meanwhile, Malcolm Turnbull sails gracefully through it all and it’s difficult to see how his numbers aren’t growing. In the community I suspect Tony Abbott remains a laughing stock. So much so that people are profiting from the the mirth, via The Age:

abbottsolutelynot.com launched this week in Sydney with a simple premise: donate money, and they’ll use it to put up posters featuring a glowering PM. Caption: HOPELESS.

…The campaign is the work of Sydney-based graphic designer Michael Agzarian. He put up $3000 of his own money to finance the first 4.5-metre tall billboard, erected in Sydney last week.

“Obama gave people hope, whereas Abbott just makes us feel hopeless – and is pretty hopeless himself,” Mr Agzarian told Fairfax Media.

It surely remains only a matter of time. So says Michelle Grattan:

In Canberra, the question on Liberals’ lips is not if Abbott will be replaced, but when.

On Thursday, the pressure grew, with Turnbull supporters saying that leaving it until after the budget will be too late and action should be taken next week (which would also be helpful for the New South Wales election). Those putting the delay argument are worried about getting in front of opinion in the party’s rank and file outside parliament.

After he headed off the spill motion earlier this month, the balance of opinion was that Abbott wouldn’t be able to regroup. That’s proved the case.