Malcolm Turnbull

[freediver]

I'm starting to like Turnbull more and more.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 94,00.html

TURNBULL DISMISSES ANY SENSE OF inevitability in politics but there was no doubting his absolute certainty that he should and would be leader. Now that he is, the reign of John Howard truly does seem an age and generation away. It’s not only a matter of a lost election; Turnbull is no conservative cultural warrior, no fierce Liberal tribalist. Even while Howard’s environment minister he fought to modernise the party on the more obvious social issues such as the apology for the Stolen Generations, signing the Kyoto protocol and rights for same-sex couples. As leader, he has retreated on opposing changes to Work Choices in the Senate. But he’s deliberately vague on specifics.

“I think the really big difference between our side of politics and Labor is that we have a much more optimistic view of human nature,” he says. “We celebrate the ability of people to make the best choices for themselves and see the role of the state above all as enabling people to do their best.”

It’s all part of the Turnbull mantra. Flexibility in all things. He hates labels, he says. He has always read widely on political philosophy – his favourite is Edmund Burke – but insists that the key to understanding the Liberal party is to see it as a very practical party. “I certainly live in the here and now,” he says. And that means, more than ever, the main game is the economy. He is not about to be diverted by the lure of his once so passionately pushed republican ideals. Instead, he is content to play mainstream gesture politics every bit as hard as Labor did in Opposition.

http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl? ... 9806/11#11

[Oliver Nickezoff]

You're easily pleased

[Mattus]

He's a fluffy bunny. A Keating grade fluffy bunny.

I like him.

[mantra.]

He's a fluffy bunny. A Keating grade fluffy bunny.

I like him.

It looks like a lot of other people think he's that as well - but they don't like him, particularly the Nationals and some in his own party. He's OK, but not suited to government. He's used to doing his own thing and he just can't do it in government where there are too many controls and too much protocol.

[mantra.]

The news today isn't good for Turnbull, regardless of his "charm". The polls say that he is doing a little better than Nelson - yet if Nelson had remained leader he might have grown on a few more people and gradually become more popular. He was slow and steady in comparison to Turnbull's bull at a fence stance.

A DIVIDED Coalition has crashed at the end of the Rudd Government's first year in office to where it was under the leadership of Brendan Nelson, as the team of Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop fail on the economy.

Mr Rudd now leads the Opposition Leader as preferred prime minister by the same massive margin - 47percentage points - he held over Dr Nelson the weekend before the Liberal leadership changed 10 weeks ago.

Ms Bishop has failed as Coalition Treasury spokeswoman in her head-to-head contest with Wayne Swan. The West Australian Liberal has become the first person in the Coalition Treasury portfolio to fall behind Mr Swan.

As the Government prepared to send $10 billion in cheques to families, pensioners and carers to pump-prime the economy and fight the global financial crisis, the Coalition's primary vote dropped by three percentage points to 35per cent, and the ALP's jumped six points to 48 per cent.

According to the latest Newspoll survey, conducted exclusively for The Australian last weekend, Labor leads the Opposition by 59per cent to 41 per cent on a two-party preferred basis - the Coalition's worst performance since June, and its second-lowest support since the election.

Primary voter support for the Nationals dropped from 5 per cent two weeks ago to 3 per cent, coinciding with their rebellion in the Senate in the name of rural and regional Australia.

With the Coalition divided and fighting over a string of policies, satisfaction with Mr Turnbull as Opposition Leader fell five points to 47 per cent, and dissatisfaction rose five points to 32 per cent.

It is the first time in Mr Turnbull's brief leadership that his satisfaction has dropped below 50 per cent, although he is still well ahead of Dr Nelson's worst satisfaction rating of 31 per cent, and dissatisfaction of 48 per cent, in August.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... 01,00.html

[Auzgurl]

He's a fluffy bunny. A Keating grade fluffy bunny.

I like him.

Im sorry mattus..he is a Keating wannabe... but I do know what you mean...a little arrogance is required in good leaders.( Keating was more edgy and I liked Keating immensely)

[Jovial Monk]

fluffy bunny or not, he is harming his party. Poor old Nelson got lousy PPM & approval figures BUT Lib support was edging back up. Malcolm has reversed that trend, as driven home like a piledriver with yesterdays Newspoll.

We expect Morgan Face to Face and Essential Research to give better results to the ALP and ACNielsen to give better results for the Coalition and Newspoll inbetween. (See http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollytics/ for good psephy stuff)

Newspoll 59:41 is therefore a hammerblow for the Coalition--and Malcolm. Will Malcolm stay Leader? You would normally say no, but then who else do the Liberals have? Pretty bare on the talent front there!

J Bishop is not doing them any favors and should at least move out of shadow Treasury if not the Deputy Leadership. But the WA Libs represent 20% of the Lib party in parliament. Malcolm will have to box clever there, or the Liberals may just disapppear or at least split.

So, no, I do not think much of Malcolm.

[mantra.]

fluffy bunny or not, he is harming his party. Poor old Nelson got lousy PPM & approval figures BUT Lib support was edging back up. Malcolm has reversed that trend, as driven home like a piledriver with yesterdays Newspoll.

Maybe this is what the Libs need - someone to harm the party, although Howard did a pretty good demolition job on them when he departed. They've become too big for their boots anyway and have stayed as arrogant as ever even though they've been in opposition for 12 months. They're not learning from their mistakes.

A few years struggling in the wilderness will do them good. Australia also needs more time to get to know Rudd and see how he goes. He seems to be doing OK, but that could just be because he's being compared to the opposition who are so hopeless at present.

[Jovial Monk]

Howard DID harm the Party, Let the extreme religious right infiltrate in NSW etc. WorkChoices will be a millstone around their necks for a long long time.

Now there is a core group of Howard Huggers who won't hear of moves away from the old man's policies/philosophy etc. Extreme right v what wets are left, city v country etc etc the Party is riddled with problems, factions etc. Needs a strong man to sort some of this out:- they should have made Abbott leader for say 18 months to iron out all these problems, reform the party structure etc. Then elect someone presentable (not Turnbull) to work out some good sounding policies, be defeated in 2010 then maybe move to a position where they look like an alternative govt. Way to go yet.

[TomB]

Flexibility in all things.

but insists that the key to understanding the Liberal party is to see it as a very practical party.

So obviously the fundamental ideals on which the Liberal Party were founded take second place to gaining power. Nothing to be surprised at there I guess!