From Peter van Onselen today:
Both sides of the debate are doing harm to the government’s cause, but does that harm matter equally to all parties? The answer is surely no.
While I am not so cynical as to believe that Abbott only wants to damage Malcolm Turnbull’s government, I do think he doesn’t care if that’s a byproduct of his commentary.
…Abbott isn’t a leadership threat to Turnbull — but he is threatening his leadership. While a comeback for Abbott isn’t on the cards (other than perhaps after the next election in opposition) the ongoing destabilisation he can create just might bring other leadership candidates to the fore and precipitate a showdown. That would be catastrophic for the government but might become unavoidable if the sideshow continues to sit at centre stage.
The ideal candidate is a centrist that can capture the loons by incorporating their policies but who is that? Might have been Morrison but he’s a goner.
That only leaves loons and if you’re going to go loon then there is no other choice than Mr Abbott.
