From John Hewson at Domain, who keeps heading Scummo off at the pass:
Scott Morrison is attempting to create some electoral victory from the jaws of his historic parliamentary defeat by launching a scare campaign being headlined as “Blame Shorten for boats”.
Clearly, if any boats do arrive between now and the May election, the Prime Minister will make absolutely sure Labor leader Bill Shorten wears it.
…To run this scare campaign he will have to be totally dishonest – to totally ignore the facts of the amended legislation that was passed, and to ignore the clear messages of recent byelections, that while voters are happy to have had our borders secured, they have become increasingly concerned by the rampant inhumanity of offshore detention, and the government’s failure to deliver an effective resettlement strategy. It still opposes the New Zealand resettlement offer.
And he will have run afoul of John Hewson, as well as the many defecting Liberal Party formers that now find the party incomprehensible.
One more point must be added, the Howard template for winning an election by quoting yourself while fantasising that you’re quoting someone else about “children overboard” relies on a second round shock involving Al Qaeda destroying twin towers in New York to have any real resonance with the polity.
Call me conservative but that seems a long shot.
