Pluto and the conservative mindset


In 1930, Clyde W. Tombaugh found a ninth planet in our solar system and, after a time being known as ‘Planet X’, it gained the name Pluto. Contrary to popular belief, the planet wasn’t named after the Disney character or the nuclear element plutonium; rather the planet was named after the Roman God of the Underworld as suggested by an 11 year old girl from England who was given £5 as a reward for her effort.

By the early 2000s, advances in the design and accuracy of astronomical instruments demonstrated to scientists that Pluto didn’t qualify as a planet as it didn’t meet the criteria:

  • It needs to be in orbit around the Sun — yes, so maybe Pluto is a planet.
  • It needs to have enough gravity to pull itself into a spherical shape — Pluto…check.
  • It needs to have “cleared the neighbourhood” of its orbit — Uh oh. Here’s the rule breaker. According to this, Pluto is not a planet.
Where Pluto apparently fell down is that it is located in the middle of a belt of small planet-like objects — so it hasn’t ‘cleared the neighbourhood’ of other objects.

There was considerable coverage of the downgrading of Pluto when it occurred and New Mexico in the US actually legislated that when Pluto traverses the skies of the state of New Mexico, it is still a planet!

One of the scientists who made the declaration that Pluto didn’t make the cut as a planet was Neil deGrasse Tyson. As well as a host of scientific awards, Tyson won the (US) People Magazine’s ‘Sexiest Astrophysicist Alive’ award in 2000 and an Emmy nomination in 2014. Charlie Pickering recently interviewed Tyson on the ABC’s ‘The Weekly’ and discussed some of the notoriety he gained as a part of the panel of scientists that decided that Pluto was not a planet, but a dwarf planet. There apparently were two groups of people: those that accepted the decision realising that over the 70 years since Pluto was discovered advances in technology had made a re-evaluation of the planet status warranted; while the second group had a number of issues with the decision primarily due to the letter writers learning that there were nine planets in the solar system — ranging from Mercury to Pluto — and no one had the right to change the basis of that absolute truth.

So why is The Political Sword suddenly interested in a discussion from around 10 years ago on the status of a (dwarf) planet that is located on average 39.5 Astronomical Units (the distance from the sun to earth is one AU) from the sun? Basically — we’re not. We are interested in the discussion between Tyson and Pickering on the science behind it. While some could accept the change in status for the dwarf planet formally known as Pluto, others could send Tyson a letter 10 years later saying that they had now researched the matter for themselves, decided Tyson was correct and apologised for calling Tyson a ‘poo poo head’ some time in the noughties (the discussion starts at around 1 minutes 43 seconds into the YouTube clip linked above).

Tyson talked about the distinct difference in the way the brain works in people. Some are able to take on new facts as they are determined and others don’t seem to have that ability. For the purposes of this discussion, let’s call those that will take on board the research of others as progressives, and those that believe the facts are immutable as conservatives. The example of progressive and conservative thinking has been done to death in regard to the environment, so let’s look at the economy instead.

There is an argument that Australia, together with the rest of the developed world, is entering the post-industrial economy and experiencing the end of capitalism. The development of the post-industrial economy is linked to the supply and availability of information. Building consumer goods, digging fossil fuels out of the ground and other activities that have sustained the Australian economy for a century are becoming, and will be part, of the ‘mix’ in the future. Australia will, however, gain a greater proportion of its national income from activities that involve the ‘sale’ of our knowledge and skills.

For example, motor vehicle manufacturers have decided that it is no longer profitable to screw their products together in Australia. While this will cause considerable grief for those who have been employed (in some cases for decades) in manufacturing Holden Commodores or Ford Falcons, General Motors, Ford and Nissan will still have considerable workforces based in this country for the foreseeable future — despite the media reports. The difference is that the work performed has a greater technical and intellectual input, be it designing and testing vehicles for worldwide markets or casting items with a great deal of complexity for a number of global vehicle models.

You are reading another demonstration of the information age — The Political Sword. This blog, along with our other site TPS Extra, is put together by a small group of people that live somewhere between Brisbane and Melbourne using the internet, email and the very occasional phone call to co-ordinate the information and work flows that are necessary. This blog is accessible in most parts of the world, costs us very little to publish and you nothing to read. Prior to the internet, someone with very deep pockets would have had to fund the printing and distribution of this article — and even then it would have not been accessible around the world at the same time. Prior to printing, records were usually kept by monks who spent their entire lives recording history. Today, information is all around us and the storage of it is cheap.

So how is the current government handling this structural change in the Australian society and economy? Rather than accepting that coal is a fossil fuel that some suggest may soon be a ‘stranded asset’, the government is attempting to change the law so that a large coal mine can be developed in Central Queensland. When the newly blackshirted “Border Security’ promise to check people’s visas on the streets of Melbourne was cancelled due to community protest, ‘our’ Prime Minister claimed they ‘should not be demeaned’.

The current government promised to stop the boats. When it was determined by others, based on information retrieved from elsewhere in South East Asia, that the boats hadn’t really stopped as claimed, our government responded that it doesn’t comment on ‘on water’ matters and tightened independent access to the charmingly named ‘Offshore Processing Centres’ (where processing refugees for settlement in Australian seems to be the last item on the agenda).

Australia over the years has entered into a number of trade agreements that in theory allow better access to markets and lesser trade barriers. Australia along with a number of other countries around the Pacific Rim have been negotiating a trade agreement for the past couple of years. If you are an Australian, you have no formal way to access the proposed agreement, which may contain clauses that override our national interests for corporate interests. If you are a stakeholder and live in countries including the USA, you do.

The ALP started a process when in power of creating a world class telecommunications system across Australia that would allow all Australians to access information on the internet much faster than most can today using digital cable to each household and known as the National Broadband Network (NBN). One of the current Government’s claims before the election was that the system that was under development was more than needed. (Stop fast Internet anyone?) While the rollout of digital cable continues at a snail’s pace, a recent Senate enquiry has determined:
The Australian people are being kept in the dark by the minister and NBN Co on the cost and rollout timeframe of the NBN.
It has been demonstrated in the past that in any period of uncertainty, those that take the lead do better. Mark Zuckerberg has made billions in the past decade or so by providing a system (Facebook) for people to freely and easily converse with their friends and soak up information — even if the information are the problems that can only be experienced in a first world economy, such as photos of last night’s dinner. Others with a large volume of resources such as Google have tried to manufacture rivals, with limited success.

So how does our government attempt to keep pace with the change to society that we are currently experiencing? In short, they are trying to keep the genie in the bottle. This is where the discussion between Charlie Pickering and Neil Tyson at the top of this article kicks in. You may recall they discussed how some people could accept new facts and assimilate them while others couldn’t. The Abbott government seems to be of the latter mindset. Above are a couple of examples of reactions to events that in the stated views of Abbott or his ministers are inimical to Australian society. There are plenty more, such as same sex marriage, education standards, tax reform and so on.

Conservative leaders in Australian politics were not always so intent on keeping the status quo. It seems that conservative leaders from Menzies to Bjelke Petersen could analyse new information and make decisions based on the material at hand. While the ALP started the Snowy Mountains Scheme, construction continued through the 23 years of Liberal rule from 1949 to 1972. While some changes were made, the NSW Liberal premiers continued the construction of the Sydney Opera House and surprisingly Bjelke Petersen’s National Party introduced and funded rail electrification at 25Kv to the Queensland rail system. At the time 25Kv electrification was new and is better technology than the 1500v systems in New South Wales and Victoria.

Abbott is a Rhodes scholar. Despite how and why he achieved the honour, he got there. There are two possible options for his reluctance to meet and adapt to the societal norms of the 21st century: either he believes that the ‘large C’ conservative values will win him power at the next election or he genuinely is one of the people that Tyson claims can only understand the rote learning he experienced decades ago.

The last 100 plus opinion polls would suggest that his performance does not meet the expectations of the Australian community. It could be argued that opinion polls are just opinion — but those that conduct the polls have businesses to run and frequent large discrepancies from reality would quickly end the pollsters’ business operations. So it could be said that you would have to be living on another planet to bet on (large C) conservatism as a winning strategy as Abbott seems to be doing.

The other option is therefore more likely. Abbott came from nowhere to cause a hung parliament in 2010 and win the 2013 election. In the opinion of those who are of the same mindset — winners are grinners — and there is a certain amount of blindness that comes from belonging to a winning team. Abbott’s mind cannot grasp the new information in relation to burning fossil fuels; cannot fathom how the society he lives in has moved on from the ‘meat and three veges’ on the table every night for the family comprised of ‘mum, dad and the two kids’; and is kicking the can on contentious issues, such as climate change, the republic, tax reform and same sex marriage, down the road for the next parliament to deal with. Should Abbott get back in, the can will be kicked further.

While Abbott’s mindset is not unique, it is taking the ‘first mover’ advantage away from all of us especially in relation to adjusting to the new knowledge and information economy of the 21st century. That will be an ongoing problem for all of us.

What do you think?
Like those who rejected the downgrading of Pluto as a planet, 2353 shows that Abbott and his ilk refuse to accept new information. Abbott is avoiding contentious issues like marriage equality, despite opinion polls, and will continue to do so. He is avoiding economic changes, pretending that we can continue forever to just dig and sell our minerals. As 2353 concludes, that approach is not in the best interests for the future of Australia.

Come back next week when Ken will discuss ‘Another failure in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander affairs’.


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13/09/2015 2353 You have given us an intriguing piece to reflect upon, one that probes how different minds function differently. It proposes that there may be a causal link between political orientation and mode of thinking and speaking. That is fascinating; nicely illustrated by the 'Pluto' phenomenon you describe. There seems to be a parallel phenomenon, one that enables politicians, predominantly conservatives, to make statements that are palpably false. I have often asked myself: are these statements those of a pathologically deluded person, are they simply barefaced lies, or are they deliberately devious attempts to mislead? You suggest that inability to absorb new information that contradicts strongly held beliefs is also a cause of such behaviour. That is plausible. Pacific Islanders are worried that global warming will elevate sea levels and swamp their island homes. They believe that Australia is not doing enough to avoid this. Yet when Abbott rebuffed them by insisting that Australia IS setting a strong emissions reduction target that compares favourably with other nations, and that he will do no more lest it adversely impact the Australian economy, we know that he must be in denial, or deluded, or deliberately deceptive, or just lying in his teeth, or perhaps, as you postulate, he is incapable of assimilating information that clashes with his deeply held disdain of climate scientists' warnings about the adverse affects of global warming on sea levels. To add insult to Abbott's rebuff of the Pacific Islanders, the always bumble-footed Peter Dutton, noting that a press conference Abbott had called was running late, makes a pathetic quip not realising he was being recorded: [i]"Time doesn’t mean anything when you’re about to have water lapping at your door”[/i] – a reference to rising sea levels threatening low-lying Pacific islands. The gaffe received wide publicity, evoking a reprimand from the President of the most threatened island nation Kiribati, who labelled Dutton as morally irresponsible for making a "vulgar" joke about rising sea levels in the Pacific. Indicating that he was responding more in "sadness" than anger, Anote Tong said Mr Dutton has [i]"got to search his own soul. What kind of a person is he? As long as there is this kind of attitude, this kind of arrogance in any position of leadership, we will continue to have a lot of tension."[/i] It seems we have to add 'arrogance' to the list of causes of Coalition-style thinking and speaking. This week, motor-mouth Scott Morrison, in a flow of words of which George Orwell would have been proud, arrogantly portrayed Australia as having been extraordinarily generous to asylum seekers, when everyone knows how scandalously cruel it has been to asylum seekers arriving by boat. What is this? Denial, lying, arrogance, or as you suggest, inability to absorb contrary information? These instances abound. Government ministers can be relied upon to provide one almost every day. I suspect that behind such implausible and at times outrageously mendacious statements are a mix of all of the above explanations. Thank you for stimulating thought and discussion about this disturbing psychological phenomenon.

Ken

14/09/20152353 If you are right, perhaps we can send the whole mob to Pluto since they still believe it's a planet. You do raise intriguing questions about the human mind. It is similar to earlier posts by Ad about the difference between the conservative and progressive mind sets -- the strict father model versus the nurturing parent. The inability to absorb new information seems another manifestation of the same phenomenon. It can be seen in Right wing groups around the world. They have their version of reality and no amount of fact or science (new information) will change that view. It is what leads many on that side of politics to reject climate change. Because they refuse to acknowledge how scientific enquiry works, they seize on any difference between scientists as 'evidence' that science is not dealing in facts and cannot be trusted. I recall quite some time ago that some Tea Party type in America seized on a comment by Steven Hawking that he was 'wrong' to show that scientists cannot be trusted to get the facts right on climate change - but all Hawking was talking about was a different view of events taking place at the 'event horizon' in black holes. But for the Right, any port in a storm!!!

Casablanca

14/09/2015[b] Breaking News [/b] The challenge is on: Both Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop have asked the PM for a leadership ballot. Turnbull has resigned from the ministry. It is the prerogative of the PM to call a ballot or not. Watch this space

Casablanca

14/09/2015Malcolm's presser at 4.00pm was as dignified and scathing as you would expect.

Casablanca

14/09/2015Dave Donovan ‏@davrosz 11m11 minutes ago Julia Gillard Rushed To Hospital After Overdosing On Schadenfreude. | SBS Comedy http://www.sbs.com.au/comedy/article/2015/02/04/julia-gillard-rushed-hospital-after-overdosing-schadenfreude … 21 retweets 20 favorites

Casablanca

14/09/2015Video of Turnbull's job application is embedded here: http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/2015/09/14/malcolm-turnbull-challenge-abbott/

Casablanca

14/09/2015...and here http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/09/14/malcolm-turnbull-asks-ton_n_8131882.html?ncid=edlinkauhpmg00000001

Casablanca

14/09/2015Lenore has been working the phones furiously. She reports that when Julie Bishop saw Tony Abbott before question time to give him the tap, the prime minister was antagonistic and not in the mood to entertain stepping aside. http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2015/sep/14/tony-abbotts-leadership-under-pressure-as-mps-gather-politics-live?CMP=ema_632

Casablanca

14/09/2015Kennett backs Abbott, deprecates Turnbull - 'he is the Kevin Rudd of the Liberal Party' Wyatt Roy backs Turnbull

Casablanca

14/09/2015Where is the Praetorian Guard jostling to announce their support for Abbott? So far only Kennett & Roy have declared themselves.

Casablanca

14/09/2015Cathy Alexander ‏@cathymalexander 1h1 hour ago If Tony Abbott loses office this week, he will have been PM for less time than either Rudd or Gillard. Rather ironic #libspill #auspol

Ken

14/09/2015Just listening to Abbott's short statement and he has not changed a bit. Still claiming 'stopping the boats' is his biggest achievement and claiming that we need a stable government (not the revolving door leadership of the Labor party) as he said. A vote tonight. Will be interesting. A quick vote is Abbott's best chance but may not be enough. And thanks Casablanca for the links as this was unfolding.

Casablanca

14/09/2015Adam Zwar ‏@adamzwar 2h2 hours ago Very sad day for comedy on Twitter. #libspill #nomoreabbottjokes

Casablanca

14/09/20157m ago18:35 Sky News is reporting that Abbott is now presenting himself on a leadership ticket with the immigration minister, Peter Dutton.

Casablanca

14/09/2015[b]Malcolm Turnbull's speech in full:[/b] A little while ago, I met with the Prime Minister and advised him that I would be challenging him for the leadership of the Liberal Party, and I asked him to arrange or facilitate a meeting of the partyroom to enable a leadership ballot to be held. Of course, I've also resigned as communications minister. Now this is not a decision that anyone could take lightly. I have consulted with many, many colleagues, many Australians, many of our supporters in every walk of life. This course of action has been urged on me by many people over a long period of time. It is clear enough that the Government is not successful in providing the economic leadership that we need. It is not the fault of individual ministers. Ultimately, the Prime Minister has not been capable of providing the economic leadership our nation needs. He has not been capable of providing the economic confidence that business needs. Now, we are living as Australians in the most exciting time. The big economic changes that we're living through here and around the world offer enormous challenges and enormous opportunities and we need a different style of leadership. We need a style of leadership that explains those challenges and opportunities, explains the challenges and how to seize the opportunities. A style of leadership that respects the people's intelligence, that explains these complex issues and then sets out the course of action we believe we should take and makes a case for it. We need advocacy, not slogans. We need to respect the intelligence of the Australian people. Now if we continue with Mr Abbott as Prime Minister, it is clear enough what will happen. He will cease to be Prime Minister and he'll be succeeded by Mr Shorten. You only have to see the catastrophically reckless approach of Mr Shorten to the China-Australia free trade agreement — surely one of the most important foundations of our prosperity — to know he is utterly unfit to be prime minister of this country, and so he will be, if we do not make a change. The one thing that is clear about our current situation is the trajectory. We have lost 30 Newspolls in a row. It is clear that the people have made up their mind about Mr Abbott's leadership. Now what we also need to remember — and this is a critical thing — is that our party, the Liberal Party, has the right values. We have a hugely talented team here in the Parliament. Our values of free enterprise, of individual initiative, of freedom — this is what you need to be a successful agile economy in 2015. What we have not succeeded in doing is translating those values into the policies and the ideas that will excite the Australian people and encourage them to believe and understand that we have a vision for their future. We also need a new style of leadership in the way we deal with others, whether it is our fellow members of Parliament, whether it is the Australian people. We need to restore traditional Cabinet government. There must be an end to policy on the run and captain's calls. We need to be truly consultative with colleagues, members of Parliament, senators and the wider public. We need an open government, an open government that recognises that there is an enormous sum of wisdom both within our colleagues in this building and, of course, further afield. But above all we have to remember that we have a great example of good Cabinet government. John Howard's government most of us served in, and yet few would say that the Cabinet government of Mr Abbott bears any similarity to the style of Mr Howard. So that's what we need to go back to. Finally, let me say something about Canning. Now this is an important by-election and I recognise dealing with this issue in the week before the by-election is far from ideal. But regrettably, there are few occasions that are entirely ideal for tough calls and tough decisions like this. The alternative if we were to wait and this issue, these problems, were to roll on and on and on is we will get no clear air. The fact is we are maybe 10 months, 11 months away from the next election. Every month lost is a month of lost opportunities. We have to make a change for our country's sake, for the Government's sake, for the party's sake. From a practical point of view a change of leadership would improve our prospects in Canning, although I'm very confident with the outstanding candidate we have that we will be successful. Please, you'll understand that I now have to go and speak to my colleagues. I trust I've explained the reasons why I am standing for the leadership of the Liberal Party. Motivated by a commitment to serve the Australian people to ensure that our Liberal values continue to be translated into good government, sound policies, economic confidence creating the jobs and the prosperity of the future. Remember this: the only way, the only way we can ensure that we remain a high-wage, generous social welfare net, first-world society is if we have outstanding economic leadership, if we have strong business confidence. That is what we in the Liberal Party are bound to deliver and it's what I am committed to deliver if the partyroom gives me their support as leader of the party. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-14/malcolm-turnbulls-full-press-conference/6774744 [b]Tony Abbott's pitch, in full:[/b] I have been heartened by the messages of support flooding into Liberal MPs’ offices this evening saying most emphatically, “We are not the Labor party.” I want to repeat that. I have been most heartened by the messages of support flooding in to Liberal MPs’ offices saying most emphatically, “We are not the Labor party.” This country needs strong and stable government and that means avoiding, at all costs, Labor’s revolving-door prime ministership. Since coming to government, our team has stopped the boats, improved the budget, cut taxes and increased jobs. We have laid the foundation for a better deal for families and for small business. You can trust me to deliver a stronger economy and a safer community. The prime ministership of this country is not a prize or a plaything to be demanded. It should be something which is earned by a vote of the Australian people. There will be a party room ballot for both the leadership and deputy leadership positions later this evening. I will be a candidate and I expect to win. Obviously, I am dismayed by the destabilisation that’s been taking place now for many, many months and I do say to my fellow Liberals that the destabilisation just has to stop. Let me finish on this note: I firmly believe that our party is better than this, that our government is better than this and, by God, that our country is so much better than this. Thank you. http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2015/sep/14/tony-abbotts-leadership-under-pressure-as-mps-gather-politics-live?CMP=soc_567

Ken

14/09/2015I'm barracking for Abbott -- otherwise I will have to rewrite a piece I'm currently working on. It's also better for the Labor party if Abbott wins. Pleeeeeaaase.:-)

Casablanca

14/09/2015Emperor God Goughlam ‏@leftocentre 3h3 hours ago So sad. Tone punted shy of his time to get a PM pension. Malcolm likes his revenge served cold with a nice Chablis. #libspill #auspol Julia Holman ‏@JulesHolman 2h2 hours ago PM Abbott will just miss out on a PM pension (plus trimmings) by about four days if he’s defeated The Parliamentary Retiring Allowances Act 1948 http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/0708/praa

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14/09/2015Casablanca Thank you for keeping us updated about the extraordinary happenings in Canberra. The thought of an Abbott/Dutton leadership team is even more abhorrent than what we have now. If Abbott wins, the LNP is dead. If Turnbull wins, Labor has an entirely new challenge to manage.

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14/09/2015ABBOTT'S GONE!!!!

Casablanca

14/09/2015The king is dead long live the king

Bacchus

14/09/2015That's interesting on a number of fronts Ad - Labor won't just waltz into power at the next election based on the woeful record of Abbott. That means they'll now need to start working harder to overcome the "charisma" of the shallow Turnbull - I sense the creative juices of our authors, both here and at [i]TPS Extra[/i], stirring :)

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14/09/2015[b]How will history look upon Abbott and his prime ministership?[/b] Perplexed by the problems of the present, Abbott too often luxuriated in the applause of cultural conservatives who fought battles against imaginary foes. The government’s royal commissions into home insulation and unions looked like an attempt to reboot the 2013 election campaign. http://theconversation.com/how-will-history-look-upon-abbott-and-his-prime-ministership-47491 via @ConversationEDU

Casablanca

15/09/2015Two years in, let’s celebrate all that Tony Abbott has achieved as Minister for Women. Mamamia Team http://www.mamamia.com.au/lifestyle/tony-abbott-minister-for-women-achievements/#jw31DhojKAzCx8jI.99

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15/09/20151. Australian Women Left Directionless After Minister For Women Loses Job The Shovel. September 14, 2015 Mr Abbott had done more for ironing costs in this country than any other leader in living memory. Mia Aish of Perth said that while she would have her female friends for support, all Australian woman had lost their strongest supporter. “He knew woman better than we know ourselves. He has a wife and three daughters for god’s sake”. http://www.theshovel.com.au/2015/09/14/australian-women-left-directionless-after-minister-for-women-loses-job/ 2. Malcolm Turnbull has been elected as leader, 54-44, by his Liberal colleagues. Stephanie Anderson. 14 Sep 2015 - 3:30 AM UPDATED YESTERDAY 11:05 PM Tony Abbott has been dumped as Prime Minister, less than six hours after Malcolm Turnbull challenged for the leadership. http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2015/09/14/malcolm-turnbull-has-called-leadership-spill?cid=trending 3. The Blip Victoria Rollison. September 14, 2015 I have waited a long time to write this post. I have so looked forward to this moment. I know, I know. Turnbull will be a harder opponent for Labor to beat at the next election, etc. etc. etc. But let’s just pause before we fight that battle and celebrate the end of the Abbott war. We never have to worry about the #OneTermTony campaign ever again, because Abbott never made it to one term. He is now officially just a blip on the landscape. He’s gone. His putrid ideological war is over. Happy dance! ...I’m savouring this sentence: Abbott didn’t even last a term. Two chaotic, dysfunctional, vindictive, shambolic, dim-witted, ideologically irrational years as leader of this great country, proving day after day after day after day and sometimes more than once a day, that he was not competent enough for the job. http://theaimn.com/the-blip/ 4. Malcolm Turnbull promises new style of leadership, but no change on key issues Lenore Taylor and Daniel Hurst. 15 September 2015 00.22 AEST The millionaire former banker holds off from policy pronouncements, but says he will respect traditional cabinet processes and the intelligence of the electorate http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/15/malcolm-turnbull-promises-new-style-of-leadership-but-no-change-on-key-issues 5. Malcolm Turnbull Defeats Tony Abbott In Leadership Spill To Become Prime Minister Karen Barlow. 14/09/2015 21:49 AEST A “humbled” Malcolm Turnbull will be sworn in on Tuesday as Australia’s 29th Prime Minister and has promised a “thoroughly Liberal” and consultative government "committed to freedom, the individual and the market". http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/09/14/pm-malcolm-turnbull_n_8132976.html?utm_hp_ref=australia 6. He’s Gone: Tony Abbott Defeated as Prime Minister. Malcolm Turnbull Wins Chris Graham. 14 Sep 2015 It's finally done. New Matilda's rolling coverage of the leadership change. https://newmatilda.com/2015/09/14/he%E2%80%99s-gone-tony-abbott-defeated-prime-minister-malcolm-turnbull-wins 7. Malcolm Turnbull defeats Tony Abbott in Liberal leadership spill to become prime minister Latika Bourke. September 14, 2015 - 11:59PM Mr Turnbull promised a "thoroughly Liberal" government and new economic vision committed to freedom, the individual and the market. He also vowed to persuade voters, rather than lecture them. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-defeats-tony-abbott-in-liberal-leadership-spill-to-become-prime-minister-20150914-gjmhiu.html#ixzz3ljMQphQ5 8. Turnbull arrives with charisma and baggage to the job he’s seen as his destiny Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra Prime Minister-elect Malcolm Turnbull has promised to be a consultative leader who runs a traditional collaborative cabinet government. https://theconversation.com/turnbull-arrives-with-charisma-and-baggage-to-the-job-hes-seen-as-his-destiny-47515 9. Malcolm Turnbull ousts Tony Abbott in dramatic party coup Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra Malcolm Turnbull has seized the prime ministership from Tony Abbott by 54-44 in a late-night vote that transforms the federal political landscape. https://theconversation.com/malcolm-turnbull-ousts-tony-abbott-in-dramatic-party-coup-47512 10. Turnbull defeats Abbott, set to become prime minister: experts respond Natalie Mast; Dominic Kelly; Flavio Menezes; Todd Winther, and Zareh Ghazarian. The Conversation's experts react to Malcolm Turnbull's defeat of Tony Abbott in a ballot for the Liberal Party leadership. https://theconversation.com/turnbull-defeats-abbott-set-to-become-prime-minister-experts-respond-47499 11. Australia's political rollercoaster: 13 years, 66 changes Matthew Liddy, Ben Spraggon, Lucy Fahey, Simon Elvery & Colin Gourlay Explore the ups and downs of more than a decade of leadership changes around Australia. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-10/australia-political-leadership-rollercoaster/6080126 12. Malcolm Turnbull: From international case-winning barrister to struggling opposition leader, 'Mr Broadband' Greg Jennett From the earliest years he came to be noticed, Malcolm Turnbull and the word "destiny" have moved in similar circles. Destiny to reach a degree of greatness greater than he demonstrated in his studies, in the law, in business and, finally in politics. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-09/malcolm-turnbull-political-career-leadership-spill/6078656 13. The visionary vs the wrecker Kaye Lee. September 13, 2015 One man had a vision for Australia and the strength and courage to enact it. The other is a nasty, vengeful, anachronism who is completely out of his depth and who is determined to unwind reforms purely because they were enacted by the previous government. His only aim is to save his own job and he is prepared to say and do anything to achieve it. http://theaimn.com/the-visionary-vs-the-wrecker/ 14. Balancing the party and the public will be Turnbull's biggest challenge Lenore Taylor. 14 September 2015 23.38 AEST The new prime minister will need to keep the voters’ faith in his status as a conviction politician, as well as maintaining unity in a fractured party in which many are at odds with his views on climate change and marriage equality http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/14/balancing-the-party-and-the-public-will-be-turnbulls-biggest-challenge-yet?CMP=share_btn_tw 15. Malcolm Turnbull to be Australia's new PM after ousting Tony Abbott in Liberal party vote Lenore Taylor and Daniel Hurst. 14 September 2015 21.57 AEST Former communications minister beats incumbent leader by 54 votes to 44 and promises respectful, slogan-free leadership style http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/14/malcolm-turnbull-to-be-australias-new-pm-after-ousting-tony-abbott-in-party-vote 16. How will history look upon Abbott and his prime ministership? Perplexed by the problems of the present, Abbott too often luxuriated in the applause of cultural conservatives who fought battles against imaginary foes. The government’s royal commissions into home insulation and unions looked like an attempt to reboot the 2013 election campaign. http://theconversation.com/how-will-history-look-upon-abbott-and-his-prime-ministership-47491 17. Australian leader Tony Abbott ousted by Malcolm Turnbull after party vote Daniel Hurst, 14 September 2015 23.01 AEST The former lawyer and banker is set to be sworn in as the fifth prime minister in five years after winning a vote of Liberal party MPs and senators by 54-44 http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/14/australian-leader-tony-abbott-ousted-by-malcolm-turnbull-after-mps-vote?CMP=twt_gu 18. 14 Of The Greatest Moments In Abbott Government Apologies Chris Graham. 13 Sep 2015 Tony Abbott and his merry band of mostly men is good for at least two things: memes, and saying sorry. https://newmatilda.com/2015/09/13/14-greatest-moments-abbott-government-apologies

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15/09/2015Casablanca You must have had a very late night compiling such a rich collection of links. Thank you so much. I'm enjoying working through them. Victoria Rollison had captured so well the sentiments of the multitude who were appalled by Abbott's incompetence and unremitting nastiness. I smiled at a SBS headline: 'Julia Gillard Rushed To Hospital After Overdosing On Schadenfreude.'

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15/09/20151. How Abbott was defeated by his own pugnatiousness Andrew Thackrah After Malcolm Turnbull announced on Monday afternoon that he was challenging Tony Abbott for the LIberal leadership, commentators were unanimous in their speculation that Abbott would not give up the prime ministership without a fight. The pugnaciousness that characterised his political style was similarly part of the playbook of Canadian PM Stephen Harper, who was also seen to base his interaction with political adversaries on their 'standing' rather than debating policy. In Abbott's case this turned out to be a fatal flaw. http://www.eurekastreet.com.au/article.aspx?aeid=45464#.Vfd1_pf4hM4 2. Tony Abbott’s Long Demise Amelia Lester. 15 September, 2015 Australia’s fourth Prime Minister in five years, Abbott exhibited a feckless machismo, which often verged on eccentricity. http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/tony-abbotts-long-demise 3. It is still a failed Government John Kelly It might sound strange initially but, one suspects the election of Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister will be seen as a welcome change by Labor supporters, almost immeasurably so; one that is two years overdue. Although the likelihood of a Coalition gain in the polls is fairly high, at least temporarily http://theaimn.com/it-is-still-a-failed-government/ 4. I feel good Kaye Lee The removal of Tony Abbott is like the lancing of a boil. We may not have cured the infection but… http://theaimn.com/i-feel-good/ 5. A painful morning for Alan Jones, who told Malcolm Turnbull he'd never be PM Katharine Murphy Who does misery love? Ah yes, Andrew Bolt, joining the broadcaster on air to commiserate over an offence against the universe, the settled universe where Jones dictates and everyone else obeys http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/sep/15/a-painful-morning-for-alan-jones-who-told-malcolm-turnbull-hed-never-be-pm 6. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull: The sitting duck Ross Jones. 15 September 2015, 8:00am Malcolm Turnbull has toppled Tony Abbott as Liberal leader and will become prime minister today. Sydney bureau chief Ross Jones says he's a sitting duck. https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/prime-minister-malcolm-turnbull-the-sitting-duck,8163 7. Brawler Or Bawler? Tony Abbott Appears To Have Done A Harold Holt! Chris Graham. 15 Sep 2015 Has Tony Abbott taken his bat and ball and gone home? Chris Graham joins the hunt for a Prime Minister who remains missing in action. https://newmatilda.com/2015/09/15/brawler-or-bawler-tony-abbott-appears-have-done-harold-holt 8. Under Turnbull, We're Promised An Era Of 'Menzian' Politics: Jews And Workers Take Note Chris Graham. 15 Sep 2015 Sir Robert Menzies had a very bad nickname for a very good reason. Chris Graham brings you a window into the ancient thinking of the modern Liberal. https://newmatilda.com/2015/09/15/under-turnbull-were-promised-era-menzian-politics-jews-and-workers-take-note 9. The Rise And Fall Of A Political Brawler: How Tony Abbott Stopped The Votes Michael Brull. 15 Sep 2015 Michael Brull looks back on the self inflicted wounds of an Australian Prime Minister. https://newmatilda.com/2015/09/15/rise-and-fall-political-brawler-how-tony-abbott-stopped-votes 10. Can Malcolm Turnbull be a Liberal leader for the 21st century? Carol Johnson. 15 Sep 2015 Malcolm Turnbull’s problem is that he often seems to be slightly ahead of the times – and that he can’t always take either his party room or the public with him. http://theconversation.cmail1.com/t/r-l-fklikkl-trhltityg-o/ 11. How will history look upon Abbott and his prime ministership? Geoffrey Robinson, Deakin University Will Tony Abbott’s conservatism survive the tide of history? http://theconversation.cmail1.com/t/r-l-fklikkl-trhltityg-b/ 12. Turnbull defeats Abbott, set to become prime minister: experts respond Natalie Mast, University of Western Australia; Dominic Kelly, La Trobe University; Flavio Menezes, The University of Queensland; Todd Winther, Griffith University; Zareh Ghazarian, Monash University The Conversation's experts react to Malcolm Turnbull's defeat of Tony Abbott in a ballot for the Liberal Party leadership. http://theconversation.cmail1.com/t/r-l-fklikkl-trhltityg-n/ 13. Malcolm Turnbull ousts Tony Abbott in dramatic party coup Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra Malcolm Turnbull has seized the prime ministership from Tony Abbott by 54-44 in a late-night vote that transforms the federal political landscape. http://theconversation.cmail1.com/t/r-l-fklikkl-trhltityg-p/ 14. Malcolm Turnbull makes lunge for the prime ministership – how the day unfolded Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra Tony Abbott has announced Liberal MPs will vote on Monday night for the leadership and deputy leadership, after Malcolm Turnbull’s challenge to the Prime Minister’s leadership. http://theconversation.cmail1.com/t/r-l-fklikkl-trhltityg-x/

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16/09/2015PROPHETIC 1. ‘Fax Machines Are Amazing’ TV Commercial To Launch Next Week The Shovel on September 7, 2015 “This machine can send an identical, slightly rolled up version of a piece paper from an office in Melbourne to an office in Sydney” the commercial says. [or indeed, from an Office in Parliament House to Yarralumla] http://www.theshovel.com.au/2015/09/07/fax-machines-are-amazing-tv-commercial-to-launch-next-week/ 2. Tony Abbott Resigned Using A Fax Machine And It’s Pretty Perfect A fax check, if you will. Mark Di Stefano. Sept. 15, 2015, at 9:10 p.m. BuzzFeed News confirmed the detail reported by Channel 9’s Laurie Oakes on Tuesday night that in the wake of losing his party leadership Tony Abbott officially faxed a copy of his resignation to the Queen’s representative. It’s a fascinating detail about the final act of the Abbott prime ministership, not least because it got people scratching their heads about why the staunch monarchist would do such a thing. http://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/fax-on-fax-off#.unBDaeOpBy SATIRE + BLACK HUMOUR 3. The thoroughly humiliating and extremely satisfying demise of Tony Abbott First Dog on the Moon This political obituary is tastefully embargoed until Tony Abbott’s prime ministerial scone plops into the basket http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/picture/2015/feb/04/the-thoroughly-humiliating-and-extremely-satisfying-demise-of-tony-abbott 4. Nation Elated To Finally Have A Rich, White Man From Sydney As PM. The Backburner. 15 Sep 2015 - 11:29am “It is never an easy job to depose a sitting Prime Minister. It’s something that requires a lot of thought and consideration. Personally, I have been thinking about it a great deal. I thought about it every single day as I had to watch him there in my seat - MY SEAT - going on and on. I thought about it in incredible detail. Oh, yes, I thought about it. http://www.sbs.com.au/comedy/article/2015/09/15/nation-elated-finally-have-rich-white-man-sydney-pm 5. Turnbull Delivers Rousing Victory Speech Entirely In Latin The Shovel on September 15, 2015 Saying it was a victory for the true believers – or “pro victoria orthodoxos” – the new Prime Minister today gave a stirring speech in lingua antiqua Romae to an adoring crowd who pretended to understand every single word. http://www.theshovel.com.au/2015/09/15/turnbull-delivers-rousing-victory-speech-entirely-in-latin/ 6. Llewelyn Morgan ‏@llewelyn_morgan 34m34 minutes ago Media continue to ignore the big political story: Malcolm Turnbull raises Brasenose College to 4 Prime Ministers while Balliol trail with 3. 7. Malcolm Turnbull Has A Blog About Dogs Josh Butler By now, we all know a fair bit about new Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull. He's was a one-time cover model for men’s magazine GQ. He cofounded internet service provider OzEmail. His wife Lucy was the first female Lord Mayor of Sydney. What you might not know is that he has spent time in the past writing blogs in the voice of dogs. http://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/2015/09/15/malcolm-turnbull-has-a-bl_n_8137728.html?ncid=edlinkauhpmg00000001 8. Coalition Promises A Cheaper, Faster Spill Than Labor’s. The Backburner. 14 Sep 2015 - 11:11 AM Amid further leadership speculations surrounding Prime Minister Tony Abbott, the Coalition Government has promised today that if they do have a leadership spill it will be cheaper and faster than the Labor alternative. In a statement leaked to Phil Coorey of satirical newspaper Australian Financial Review the Coalition are considering a spill provided it can be delivered on time and under budget to the Australian people.http://www.sbs.com.au/comedy/article/2015/09/14/coalition-promises-cheaper-faster-spill-labors http://www.sbs.com.au/comedy/article/2015/09/14/coalition-promises-cheaper-faster-spill-labors 9. Abbott, Attempting To Order Coffee, Declares The Boats Have Stopped. “We need to look at the facts,” declared the Prime Minister. “Now, what I am being asked is to make the difficult decision between regular milk, soy milk or perhaps no milk at all - what I have to say in response to that is we have stopped the boats. http://www.sbs.com.au/comedy/article/2015/09/11/abbott-attempting-order-coffee-declares-boats-have-stopped FIRST SELLOUTS 10. Malcolm Turnbull holds the line on climate policy and marriage equality plebiscite Daniel Hurst New prime minister says ‘policies will change in the light of changed conditions’ as Labor presses him on his support for unpopular measures http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/15/malcolm-turnbull-holds-the-line-on-climate-policy-and-marriage-equality-plebiscite?CMP=soc_568 11. Turnbull savages the Direct Action policy in 2010 that he defended in #QT today: CARBON POLLUTION REDUCTION SCHEME BILL 2010 http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;db=CHAMBER;id=chamber/hansardr/2010-02-08/0018;query=Id:%22chamber/hansardr/2010-02-08/0000%22 12. Nationals extract their pound of flesh from Turnbull Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra The Nationals, who have previously been suspicious of Malcolm Turnbull, have used the negotiation of a fresh Coalition agreement with the new prime minister to extract a range of concessions. https://theconversation.com/nationals-extract-their-pound-of-flesh-from-turnbull-47582 THE CONVERSATION 13. Minus Abbott’s obsessions, imperious new PM must mend fences and the economy Dennis Altman, La Trobe University Malcolm Turnbull comes without the two obsessions that dogged Tony Abbott’s leadership: his preoccupation with the previous Labor government and his stake in the culture wars https://theconversation.com/minus-abbotts-obsessions-imperious-new-pm-must-mend-fences-and-the-economy-47490 14. What now for the NBN under a Turnbull government? Rod Tucker, University of Melbourne Now Malcolm Turnbull has given up the post to become Prime Minister, what are the challenges ahead for the new Communications Minister to deal with Australia's National Broadband Network? https://theconversation.com/what-now-for-the-nbn-under-a-turnbull-government-47563 15. Ten economic events leading up to the Abbott spill Charis Palmer, The Conversation and Emil Jeyaratnam, The Conversation Tony Abbott says sound economic management is in the DNA of the Liberals. So what went wrong? https://theconversation.com/ten-economic-events-leading-up-to-the-abbott-spill-47561 16. Turnbull has an opportunity to make Australia a science nation Les Field, UNSW Australia A Turnbull government has an opportunity to redirect Australia towards being a science and innovation nation. https://theconversation.com/turnbull-has-an-opportunity-to-make-australia-a-science-nation-47540 17. Turnbull inherits an economy battered by global headwinds Janine Dixon, Victoria University What can Turnbull do to deliver the kind of outstanding economic leadership he says Australia needs? His first step will be to acknowledge the economic problems Australia is currently facing https://theconversation.com/turnbull-inherits-an-economy-battered-by-global-headwinds-47473 18. Abbott attacks ‘febrile media culture’ that rewards treachery Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra Tony Abbott has lashed out at "a febrile media culture that rewards treachery" while pledging not to be a "wrecker", in his first public comments after being removed as leader. https://theconversation.com/abbott-attacks-febrile-media-culture-that-rewards-treachery-47570 https://theconversation.com/to-avoid-relegation-turnbull-must-restore-an-authority-missing-since-howard-47492 19. To avoid relegation, Turnbull must restore an authority missing since Howard Gregory Melleuish, University of Wollongong Since 2007 Australia has not really had prime ministers of sufficient calibre. Instead, we have had an incessant struggle for power by those who believed they had the goods. 20. Liberal spill: brutal business fells leaders who lack the skill set for the job at hand Dennis Grube, University of Tasmania The partyroom, not the people, decides the leadership, and if the leader lacks the skill set the role demands at the time, the party rarely hesitates to change the leader. https://theconversation.com/liberal-spill-brutal-business-fells-leaders-who-lack-the-skill-set-for-the-job-at-hand-47539 21. It’s the economy wot won it: Turnbull’s new communication challenge Tim Harcourt, UNSW Australia There was a time when economics was front and centre in political life and debate. Turnbull can help the country return to one that is economically literate. https://theconversation.com/its-the-economy-wot-won-it-turnbulls-new-communication-challenge-47545 22. Coalition likely to receive substantial poll boost under Turnbull Adrian Beaumont. September 15, 2015 4.53pm AEST Turnbull has an approval rating of 47% and a disapproval rating of 24% in an August Essential question on government ministers. Abbott, on the other hand, had a net approval of -33 in the latest Newspoll. Since a very unpopular leader is being replaced by a popular leader, the Coalition is likely to receive a substantial poll boost. https://theconversation.com/coalition-likely-to-receive-substantial-poll-boost-under-turnbull-47574 NEW MATILDA 23. The Right To Throw A Tanty: We Watched The Abbott Loyalists Explode, So You Didn't Have To Max Chalmers From Rupert Murdoch to grassroots halal truthers, Abbott’s last backers are putting on a good show. https://newmatilda.com//2015/09/15/right-throw-tanty-we-watched-abbott-loyalists-explode-so-you-didnt-have 24. As We Say Good Riddance To Tony Abbott There Is Much To Celebrate Ben Eltham The demise of Abbott represents a setback for an inequitable, cruel, and frankly boring vision for Australia https://newmatilda.com//2015/09/15/we-say-good-riddance-tony-abbott-there-much-celebrate#sthash.BUubzel9.dpuf INDEPENDENT AUSTRALIA 25. Abbott deceives the nation right to the end: 65 porkie pies in two years Alan Austin. 15 September 2015, 12:30pm Even on his political death bed, Tony Abbott cannot tell the truth. Alan Austin closes a sad and sorry chapter in Australia’s political history. https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/abbott-lies-to-the-nation-to-the-end-65-of-the-worst,8164 26. Is Shorten the new Abbott? Michael Galvin. 16 September 2015, 12:01am When Bill Shorten went into attack mode on Malcolm Turnbull on Monday, before Abbott had even accepted Turnbull's challenge, Michael Galvin says the Opposi [...] https://independentaustralia.net/politics/politics-display/is-shorten-the-new-abbott,8166 MSM + THE PRESS GALLERY 27. With a nip and a bit of tuck Turnbull can bring a touch of green to Direct Action Lenore Taylor. 15 September. 2015 The Coalition’s climate policy holds a hidden key which will allow its new leader to set tougher baselines that emitters are not allowed to exceed...Thirsty country: in 2009 Malcolm Turnbull described the Coalition’s climate policy as ‘a recipe for fiscal recklessness on a grand scale’. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/sep/15/with-a-nip-and-a-bit-of-tuck-turnbull-can-bring-a-touch-of-green-to-direct-action?CMP=ema_632 28. Tony Abbott promises 'no wrecking, no undermining' in final speech as prime minister Anna Henderson Outgoing prime minister Tony Abbott has blamed a poll-driven febrile media culture, a "sour, bitter character assassination" and white-anting for his demise. More than 12 hours after being toppled by Malcolm Turnbull, Mr Abbott has addressed the media with a short statement in the Prime Minister's official courtyard. He did not take any questions. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-15/tony-abbott-promises-no-wrecking-final-speech-pm/6777136 29. Tony Abbott: In the end, there was poetry Annabel Crabb We've seen long weepy prime ministerial farewells and brisk pragmatic ones. Today, Tony Abbott did an about-face on his rhetorical style and gave us something quite different. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-15/crabb-abbott-statement/6777724 30. Tony Abbott, the prime minister for Indigenous affairs, never fully appreciated our culture Stan Grant. 15 September 2015 11.47 AEST The prime minister said he would ‘sweat blood’ for my people, that his personal mission was to redress Australia’s ‘national shame’. But words are easy. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/sep/15/abbott-the-prime-minister-for-indigenous-affairs-never-fully-appreciated-our-culture?CMP=ema_632 31. Bright Spark, Black Day: The Political Obituary Of The Prime Minister For Indigenous Affairs Amy McQuire 15 Sep 2015 Here lies Tony Abbott, a man who did more for media noise and white aspirations for black people than any before him. https://newmatilda.com/2015/09/15/bright-spark-black-day-political-obituary-prime-minister-indigenous-affairs 32. How the Liberal party machine swallowed the real Tony Abbott alive Katharine Murphy, 8 February 2015 13.21 AEDT The Tony Abbott I knew disappeared in 2013 as he sublimated himself to the needs of his party and its backers. Ultimately the strategy backfired... My last recorded sighting involved Abbott romancing a constituency he thought essential to securing power. Gina Rinehart was there. So was Rupert Murdoch. Abbott obligingly went down on bended knee to secure a private tête-à-tête with the mogul, because why on earth would a multi-time zone eminence like Murdoch stand up to greet a mere politician on the cusp of the prime ministership? http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/feb/08/how-liberal-party-machine-swallowed-tony-abbott?CMP=ema_632 33. After winning his prize, Malcolm Turnbull must learn from Abbott's mistakes Gabrielle Chan. 15 September 2015 06.26 AEST Tony Abbott failed to front the media after he was defeated and his successor as prime minister will have to show more leadership if he is to last the course. Tony Abbott was the man who never let up. The man who had a plan to get to government but not beyond. The man who would never take his foot off the throat of any tribe that was not his own. He governed for his own. In the end, they disowned him. http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/15/after-winning-his-prize-malcolm-turnbull-must-learn-from-abbotts-mistakes 34. Boats, Bronnie and budget bungles: the rocky road to Liberal leadership spill Shalailah Medhora. 14 September 2015 20.08 AEST Tony Abbott’s prime ministership has been dogged by scandal, U-turns and gaffes aplenty http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2015/sep/14/boats-bronny-and-budget-bungles-the-rocky-road-to-liberal-leadership-spill 35. The sacking of Tony Abbott was personal. It was also about the removal of Peta Credlin Paul Sheehan. September 15, 2015 - 2:06PM It may have been Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop who unseated Abbott, but it was the public that sacked him. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/the-sacking-of-tony-abbott-was-personal-it-was-also-about-the-removal-of-peta-credlin-20150915-gjmv0r.html#ixzz3losCpLKp 36. Elements that make Tony Abbott's departure inevitable have fallen into place Nicholas Stuart So this is the way Tony Abbott's premiership ends - not with a bang but a whimper...The key point is that over the past week the final elements that make Abbott's departure inevitable have quietly, and quickly, fallen into place. It's the speed that is the only surprise. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/the-elements-that-make-tony-abbotts-departure-inevitable-have-fallen-into-place-20150914-gjm2id.html#ixzz3lpEYfy5q 37. Liberal leadership: Why Tony Abbott remained under pressure Peter Reith September 15, 2015 - 3:03AM It is hard to know exactly what went on behind closed doors but it is clear that it has been a well managed plan. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/liberal-leadership:-why-tony-abbott-remains-under-pressure-20150914-gjm5xh#ixzz3lpF8chDc 38. What will happen to Peta Credlin and Brian Loughnane, Liberal power couple? James Massola They're the power couple who have run the Liberal Party back-room operation since December 2009. But Tony Abbott's ousting as prime minister will inevitably lead to his high-profile chief of staff, Peta Credlin, quitting the blue carpet in Parliament House's ministerial wing. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/what-will-happen-to-peta-credlin-and-brian-loughnane-liberal-power-couple-20150915-gjmuko.html#ixzz3lpFvJhAH 39. Liberal leadership: The business of being Lucy Turnbull Jessica Gardner and Lisa Cox The ascension of Malcolm Turnbull to the top job in Australia may seem like a big deal for most, but along with his wife, Lucy, the formidable duo are used to being on top. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/business/markets/liberal-leadership-the-business-of-being-lucy-turnbull-20150915-gjn88r.html#ixzz3lpIGdDNb 40. Tony Abbott's legacy: Turnbull's timing perfect as Maurice Newman about to exit Colin Kruger. September 16, 2015 - 12:15AM As Malcolm Turnbull seeks to unify the conservative political machine behind him, the good news is that he won't necessarily have to overtly demolish all of his predecessor's legacy. He just has to wait. Take Tony Abbott's corporate warrior and climate change sceptic, Maurice Newman. His term as chairman of the Prime Minister's Business Advisory Council expires this Saturday. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/business/cbd/tony-abbotts-legacy-turnbulls-timing-perfect-as-maurice-newman-about-to-exit-20150914-gjmlx0.html#ixzz3lpIbjYlE

TalkTurkey

16/09/2015Greetings Comrades! 2353 I like the way you segued all the way from Pluto (which I'm damned if I'm going to cross off my planets list partly because I've written verse about each of the NINE planets. Pluto's goes: The last of Sol's family tiny, and far Though eight thousand times closer than the very first star! Named for dark, scary Pluto, Greek God of the Underworld - Nobody's idea of a bright, fun-filled wonderworld ! But I get the gist anyway. Yes. Since earliest childhood I've watched ants carrying off insects such as a fly you just swatted. A 10-Ant team is on the job, but the funny thing is, 4 are pulling in direction of their hole, 2 are pulling sideways one way, 1 is pulling sideways the other way, and 3 are pulling against the direction the fly must go. If all the others except for the four going in the right direction were to let go, the fly instead of being late for dinner, would be down the hole by morning tea time. Geez you'd think that after millions of years of evolution ants would've cracked on to that. But then we get to humans. Homo sapiens, "wise man" (on our own assessment, like Dyson Heydon's of his own impartiality). We have had many millions of years' more evolution than Ants. We would never work counter each other in pursuit of common interests of course. Irony, yes. It seems that there is no changing the minds of those who won't change their minds. Anyway, some of the things about which you conjectured on Sunday no longer apply since Monday. Talk about a week being a long time in Politics! So at least now we don't have to put up ever again with that lizard-tongued Sumo-swaggering lying disgusting PiG~THiNG Abbort, and you know, the Fighting 5th Estate was the decisive influence that has brought him down. As I write Turdball is being given a (metaphorical) hand job by Joe O'Brien on ABCTV, soothing lotion and all. He's so BRAVE! He's gone to the Prostate Centre ... This is Turdball's equivalent to Abbortt's Fish Market type photo-ops I guess. Ho Hum. Well the game has changed and Labor leadership must quicken its pace and sharpen its rhetoric. But we've had some wins, and one of the cheeriest pix I've seen in ages is that "Bob Brown's Bitch/Ditch the Witch" photo with Bishop Mirabella and Abborrt in the foreground, with all three faces crossed out. "The Witch the Whore and the PiG~THiNG", as someone disgracefully put it earlier on Twitter. ;-) It's hotting up now Comrades as we approach an election year. Swordsfolk and those like us are everywhere nowadays, whether on Twitter or anywhere else on the 5th Estate. See how We rallied to send Border Farce scrambling in disorder! Social Media is more than ever powerful now. And we must make it succeed where last tie we failed. Due to Fifth Columnists. Who are different. Well Turdball is a Jaguar on the outside with a Fiat 500 engine, and he is impossibly wedged on Coal, on Same Sex Marriage, Renewables, Climate Change, and I suspect every single issue. And he has a fatal vulnerable spot: unlike Abbort, he understands logic, and he is sometimes cornered into acknowledging the fallacies and hypocrisies in his Party's policy positions. Hockey and several other Ministers will be sacked in acrimonious circumstances; nearly half Turdball's own Party, and nearly all the Nats, despise him, while the Greens, bless their little snow-white sox, might at last have figured that while Labor might not be perfect, the LNP, with whom they have so often connived, have been, and intend to continue to be, disastrous to positions the Greens hold dear. Di Natale et al have already condemned Turdball for refusing to move from Abbort's positions and so they bloody should. So let them not sell out Labor when the poll comes around. En garde Turdball. (He is spruiking "Clean Coal" on QT as I write!) It's On now. VENCEREMOS!!

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16/09/2015Casablanca I've been on the road for the last couple of days so I've a lot of your links to read and enjoy in the next day or so. I predicted that the Liberal Party would never elect Malcolm Turnbull because of the dominance of Big C conservatives over small l Liberals, and the disdain that the former had for him. I was wrong. Which just goes to show that a seemingly impossible scenario becomes possible when politicians, no matter what their orientation, fear losing their seats, their salary and their perks. It says a lot about the lack of confidence they had in their former leader to secure their seats that self-preservation overrode their enmity for Turnbull in such a conclusive way. Isn't raw politics a destructive process. The former PM, what was his name, has disappeared, and when he is occasionally mentioned in passing, it is almost always to cast aspersions upon him. And every derogatory word is thoroughly deserved. He has disappeared in the proverbial 'puff of blue smoke'. Who will miss him? Perhaps the columnists for whom he was a constant source of editorial fodder!

Casablanca

18/09/2015Malcolm Turnbull’s first task: soothe the angry beast in the Liberal Party Waleed Aly. September 18, 2015 - 12:00AM Slowly, we're learning of the continuing anger towards Christopher Pyne, Julie Bishop and even Scott Morrison over their abandonment of Tony Abbott. We're discovering Cory Bernardi's remarkable flirtation with leaving the Liberal Party altogether, perhaps with a view to establishing his own neo-Hansonite operation.....It is hard to imagine a government that could better approximate the values espoused by Sydney shock jock Ray Hadley. And yet in less than 18 months it faced a leadership spill, reflecting its status as the most rapidly despised government in memory – even when confronted by a limp opposition. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/malcolm-turnbull-needs-to-ditch-the-neocons-and-connect-to-middle-australia-20150916-gjojxk.html#ixzz3m0kbfEIC

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18/09/2015Casablanca I'm still working though you impressive set of links. Have you heard just now on the radio that Abbott offered Scott Morrison the position of Treasurer and Deputy Leader if he voted for him in the leadership contest? He rejected the offer and did not vote for him. Abbott lost on all counts with Morrison, and in the process showed his gross disloyalty to Joe Hockey and Julie Bishop, whom he was prepared to ditch to save his own skin. So much for Abbott's loyalty to the very people to whom he assured his loyalty. Does that make Abbott an opportunistic political rat? I think I know the answer.

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18/09/2015Folks Rob Burgess, in an article in [i]The New Daily[/i] titled [i]Worst government ever? Well, they said it[/i], begins: "[i]Back in early 2013, when Tony Abbott was leading a highly effective campaign against the Gillard government, Coalition MPs frequently stood up in question time to decry the “worst government ever”. "That term will now come back to haunt the core of Abbott’s supporters in the Liberal Party."[/i] Later he writes: "[i]When Malcolm Turnbull announced his challenge early on Monday morning, he accused Abbott of leading by “slogans and captain’s calls”. Abbott’s response? To send out ministers to say they’d “stopped the boats”. "Turnbull said the Abbott leadership team wasn’t capable of managing the economy – so he sent Treasurer Hockey out to boast that 300,000 jobs had been created in two years. "Did Hockey even know that just to keep up with population growth, 347,000 jobs would need to have been created?"[/i] [b]At last someone has exposed Hockey's mendacity about job creation.[/b] Burgess concludes: "[i][b]The 14th of September 2015 will be a sad day for many – a day on which the Abbott experiment was finally revealed as a costly mistake for the nation. Was it the worst government ever? Well, they said it."[/i][/b]

Casablanca

18/09/2015[b]Breaking News[/b] Pluto: New Horizons images reveal stunning views of 'Arctic-like' landscape ABC Science. Updated about an hour ago Stunning new images of Pluto backlit by the sun reveal a landscape of majestic mountains, foggy plains and hazes. The images, taken on July 14 by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft from a distance of 18,000 kilometres give Pluto a "strangely Arctic look", NASA scientists said. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-18/pluto-images-reveal-arctic-like-world/6786166

2353

18/09/2015Here's an interesting thought "Ray Hadley's blind rage against Morrison reveals shock jocks know their influence is waning" http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/sep/18/ray-hadleys-blind-rage-against-morrison-reveals-shock-jocks-know-their-influence-is-waning?CMP=ema_632

totaram

18/09/20152353: Not just interesting - uplifing and I suspect becoming more true as time goes on. Remember how the polls were wrong on Campbell Newman and the Naphthine governments being ousted? I might actually open a twitter account!

Casablanca

19/09/2015Malcolm Turnbull: a man of many phases Damien Murphy. September 19, 2015 - 12:27AM Everybody in Sydney seems to know a Turnbull story. Famously non sequitur, his ability to chop and change or represent disparate positions is both his charm and Achilles heel. He has changed religions; a feminist, he negotiated Kerry Packer's deal with Hugh Hefner to publish an Australian edition of Playboy magazine in 1978; no sooner had he vanquished Abbott, than Labor stalwarts scurried to claim the man who was once nearly theirs....George Lansbury, the great-uncle of Turnbull's mother Coral, led the British Labour Party during the Depression.....But the variously attributed aphorism, "if you aren't a socialist at 20, you have no heart, and if you are a socialist at 40, you have no head", may well explain the dichotomy of Turnbull. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/malcolm-turnbull-a-man-of-many-phases-20150918-gjpj66.html#ixzz3mA33gldZ

Casablanca

19/09/2015With Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister, an adult is back in charge Jack Waterford. September 18, 2015 From exile, Turnbull....acquired a certain serenity. He has remained wide rather than narrow, open-minded rather than doctrinaire, philosophical and curious about the world rather than single-mindedly focused on himself. Exile seems also to have made him more reflective of the fact that politics is not merely about the right conclusions, the right friends, or, technically, being right; it is about argument, debate and, ultimately, winning. One compromises, steps backwards and sideways as well as forwards. That he often looked calm, relaxed and capable, made those who feared him more paranoid, but he rarely seemed to return, in public at least, the hatred they radiated out. http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/an-adult-is-back-in-charge-20150915-gjn8as.html#ixzz3mALRSjrh

Ken

20/09/2015A fairly good result in Canning. Almost 7% swing to Labor on TPP and a 9.3% increase in Labor's first preference vote.
How many Rabbits do I have if I have 3 Oranges?