Domainfax says:
The federal opposition has called on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to drop the “protection racket” and refer Liberal MP John Alexander to the High Court, as the former tennis great sought proof he remains eligible for Parliament.
While Mr Alexander anxiously awaited advice from UK authorities about his citizenship status – which could see him kicked out of Parliament, triggering a byelection that would imperil the government’s majority – he issued a short statement saying: “I am still of the view that I am solely an Australian citizen.”
The Guardian adds:
The Labor MP Justine Keay has admitted her renunciation of British citizenship was not effective until after the 2016 election, but she and another ALP colleague are relying on “reasonable steps” taken to renounce foreign citizenship to stay in parliament.
The admission may leave Keay’s place in parliament vulnerable to challenge, as several constitutional law experts have warned it is arguable that reasonable steps are not enough to escape the constitutional disqualification on a strict reading of the high court’s decision in the citizenship seven case.
Peta Incredlin is lapping it up at The Australian:
For a Prime Minister on life support, the rolling citizenship crisis is like the power cutting in and out on the ventilator; it hasn’t yet killed him but the chances of recovery are fading by the minute.
How it got this bad is a potent example of Malcolm Turnbull’s lack of political nous. He might have been a successful businessman but politics is a profession, and judgment, along with temperament, are mandatory requirements.
Unfortunately for Turnbull, you can’t buy judgment, so he’s left lurching from one poorly managed issue to the next, rather than taking charge of problems that will determine the fate of his one-seat majority and keep him ahead of the game.
In politics, the reckoning always comes and it’s far better to be in charge of events than hostage to them. As well, even in times of trouble, demonstrating leadership can actually be rewarded by a community that’s desperate to see politicians take responsibility for issues of their own making; John Howard’s management of the travel rorts affair that threatened to engulf his first-term government is a case in point.
…Under current rules, and Turnbull’s new citizenship plan, there is no automatic referral to the High Court of questionable cases even if someone were to check them. Turnbull will shortly leave this mess behind and head overseas leaving Julie Bishop as acting PM; here’s that lack of judgment again.
Paul Kelly can see what’s coming:
When your government is under grievous pressures and facing possible by-elections that could terminate its life, what counts are character, tenacity and courage — and the current situation will test in full whether the 2017 Liberal Party holds to these qualities as an institution.
Let’s get it clear: personal indulgence, panic, pent-up animosity and bad judgment are the enemies of good character. Given human nature, they are part of politics but unless contained they destroy parties and governments. As Malcolm Turnbull conceded on the ABC yesterday morning, the dual citizenship crisis puts the survival of his government at risk.
There is a related question: Will the Turnbull government and the Liberal Party deserve to survive in office? That depends on how they handle the extreme pressures at work along with the intense long-running campaign from a section of the media to destroy Turnbull for no reason other than as an end in itself.
A Turnbull flunky to the last. There is no coming back from here without a new leader and new policies. It’s been the single worst government in modern memory. Replacing it can only bring upside.
