Doom, doom, doom go the drums of war:
Fairfax Media has obtained audio of Mr Abbott’s speech to conservative Liberals on Monday night, in which he asserted Turnbull government ministers did not believe in the “second-best, taxing and spending” budget they had been forced to deliver.
Mr Abbott said the Liberal Party needed help “so that we can be what we really are”, and said Australians had for too long tolerated those who did not share the fundamental God-given values that underpinned Western civilisation.
“Just at this moment, let me tell you, we’re at a bit of a low ebb,” he told the Melbourne meeting.
“If you listen to some senior members of the government, because of the reality – the unfortunate reality – of the Senate, we have had to bring forward a budget which is second-best. A taxing and spending budget.
“Not because we believe in these things, but because the Senate made us do it. Well, a party that has to do what’s second-best because the Senate made us do it is a party which needs some help.”
“Our first responsibility is to fight so that the existing government, the existing cabinet and the existing prime minister are as good as they possibly can be,” he said.
“One of the reasons why I’m speaking out is not because I think we’ve got to change the personnel but because I think we’ve got to just move the direction a little bit.
“You can’t always determine the speed of the advance, but by God we should be able to determine the direction of the advance. We shouldn’t let the Senate go the wrong way, even if it is trying to stop us from going very far in the right direction.”
A Liberal Party source who attended Monday night’s meeting said the audience of about 200 was “basically in raptures” at the end of Mr Abbott’s presentation.
“He is definitely on the war path,” the source said. “I have never seen him speaking so well or looking so good.”
Leeeeeeeeaks to continue…
