Is the Coalition back together? They sure are! (* Conditions apply.) Photo: Andrey Popov.
What a novel idea to get shadow ministers to all sign up to a solidarity agreement.
Maybe they should each sign a pact to attend shadow cabinet meetings as well.
While they’re at it, how about getting them to put it in writing that they’ll all try really hard to hold the government to account.
Get their monikers on a promise not to give away strategy and tactics to their opponents, also.
And don’t forget being across their own portfolio policy areas – that should be clearly spelled out in the documentation they all need to sign too.
This is how low the Coalition has sunk that the very basic fundamentals of being a united team have to be signed, almost in blood, for fear of further outbreaks of bold, brash and very public disunity.
Cabinet solidarity is the very fabric of a united and cohesive political party.
The Liberal-Nationals Coalition has spent the past weeks proving that very point.
Disunity is death and we’re all sick to death of it.
Here are a few comments thrown around during various media appearances on Monday (9 February) to describe the Coalition just a day after it reunited.
A few choice remarks were offered from some quarters the morning after Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and National Party leader David Littleproud used a press conference to express their newfound respect for and trust in each other.
“Existential crisis” was one description. “Disaster” another. “Something has to change”; “we are now at irrelevance”; and “rabble”.
These weren’t lines from gleeful Labor MPs rubbing their hands at the Opposition’s antics; they were from members of the Coalition’s own team.
Sure, most of them came from disgruntled backbenchers Sarah Henderson and Jane Hume, who are still not happy at being dumped from the frontbench after the last election, but as allies of potential leadership contender Angus Taylor, they are suddenly empowered once more to speak out about the shambles the Opposition has become.
“At this point we’re talking about a leadership contest between Sussan Ley and Andrew Hastie and Angus Taylor,” Senator Hume said.
“None of them will have seats after the next election if this continues, so something’s got to give.”
The latest Newspoll certainly strengthens that argument.
With the Coalition’s primary vote at a dismal historic low of 18 per cent and One Nation’s rising to 27 per cent, something’s certainly got to give if the Opposition has any chance of functioning at anything other than a kindergarten level.
Liberal frontbencher James McGrath put a dull shine on it when asked about the Coalition’s brand at the moment.
“I’m not going to sprinkle gold dust on a cow pat. The polling is dire. It is horrible. It is terrible,” he said on the ABC.
“But speaking as a former campaign director, I’m not surprised it’s this bad because we’ve spent three weeks having a very public discussion talking about ourselves rather than focusing on the many failings of the Labor government.”
This trainwreck has become excruciating to watch.
Labor’s primary vote is only up one point since the previous Newspoll three weeks ago and sits on 33 per cent.
That’s not a spectacular primary vote by anyone’s count, but the Coalition can’t land a blow on the Federal Government.
The Opposition is trying to discuss the cost of living and economic management, but each attempt only draws the government’s focus back to Coalition infighting and ongoing tensions between Ley and Littleproud.
Anthony Albanese can’t believe his luck.
“I just sit back and watch with some incredulity, I’ve got to say, at their carry on,” the Prime Minister said on Monday.
“They really don’t like each other, and I think yesterday, having a look at them, you know, David Littleproud looked like a hostage at that press conference.”
The PM rightly adds that while Pauline Hanson will never take his job, One Nation’s surge in the polls isn’t a good thing for the nation’s future.
“I think it’s unfortunate, the state of the traditional conservative parties in Australia at the moment,” he said.
“I hope they get their act together because I think that’s good for the country to have a strong government and a strong Opposition.
“But I don’t think Pauline Hanson is the answer to anything.”
Perhaps the solidarity agreement to be signed by the incoming shadow cabinet of Liberals and Nationals should include a clause committing the Opposition’s front bench to stop giving the government – and One Nation – so many free kicks.
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
