A Leopard Never Changes Its Spots : Not True

The narrative is repetitive when the knockers are trying to denigrate others, "A Leopard never changes its spots". Meaning that people do not change. Not never. Now even the most resistant change to some degree, although they will never admit it. 

The meaning of the phrase is that things cannot change their innate nature came from the Bible, Jeremiah 13:23. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil."

True a leopard can't change its spots, but they can and do change their behaviour dependent on their circumstances. Even down to their coats, dependent of their location. 

But people are people and it simply isn't true that people never change. They change all of the time. It's only natural and we can't help but change through our life experiences; needs, wants and desires. If we don't want change, we never develop, or grow or mature. And if we don't, we become stagnant and eventually irrelevant. 

Just because we liked and believed in some yesterday doesn't mean we feel the same today. Only those who continue to live in the past hang on to the belief that a "Leopard never changes its spots". 

So don’t believe it when people point the finger and say someone will never change or can’t change, that this is the way they are. It's not true. 

And with regards to the latest claims that Malcolm Turnbull can't change his spots, have you ever considered that it was perhaps Tony Abbott's unwillingness to change and to listen that lead to his demise? It would be very foolish of Malcolm Turnbull removed once because his ideas did not fit with the general opinions of the public to repeat the same mistake. 

LIBERAL PARTY: DENIAL, ANGER & ACCEPTANCE

“Shooting the messenger is alive and well in Australia.” Some of the ‘darlings’ of the conservative movement are now being attacked and vilified because they supported Malcolm Turnbull. Hitlist’s of the ‘traitors’ are being compiled and circulated. Even one ‘shock-jock’ in Sydney was outing people today and he even resorted to hanging up on one MP who would not confirm who he supported. 

Like many, I was very disappointed with the dumping of yet another first team Prime Minister. However, if you read my Reflections Blog, you will be aware that I for one have been pleading for a number of things to be fixed or changed. And, I have warned that we were losing the support of moderate conservatives who, frankly, had simply had enough of the destabilization, the white-anting and the failure to cut through. 

Once people stop listening and simply turn off or turn away, then you have to take stock. We can blame and attack the media (as I regularly do) and we can attack the opposition and blame those groups for everything. We can blame the weak kneed within our party (I’ve done that as well)  but at the end of the day what was still missing was a change in OUR  tactics. 

Our communication has been appalling. We simply weren’t capitalising on Labor’s own failing, things such as; their leadership tensions, the Burke travel expenses affair, Shorten’s personal disclosures at TURC, Shorten’s & Union assault on the Royal Commissioner, Shorten & the Union’s ChAFTA campaign, Shorten’s 50/50 Climate blackhole (the list is endless). Despite this ‘gold mine’ our Liberal fortunes have languished badly in the polls. This has been going in for months. We can whinge all we like about poll driven politics, but that is the reality. We simply weren’t getting the message through, we weren’t lifting the needle and there was an overwhelming fear that the position was terminal. 

Tony Abbott is a genuine and loyal Liberal and a very loyal friend. He was a formidable opposition leader and as Prime Minister, he delivered some outstanding results in very difficult circumstances. Even John Howard said, Mr Abbott delivered on things he thought were almost impossible to do. But, Mr Abbott was not a good ‘team leader’ and he couldn’t win over the hearts and minds the electorate. He wouldn’t make the necessary changes to remove the deadwood within the party; be that backroom or ministerial.  As in business, if the leader fails, the team fails and the leader has to go. That’s often unfair and unfortunate, particularly when the leader is a nice person. But that’s the reality. 

Sadly, Mr Abbott has paid the price. He could have taken action, he didn’t. He let his loyalty get in the way of common sense and good judgement. He was far too passive for his own good. Sitting members were angry because the things he promised were not forthcoming; like greater consultation, and as an example more and inclusive decision making. I know the advice Mr Abbott was given was dismissed and ignored. So all the positive things that were happening and in fact did happen, were overshadowed by the relentless negativity. 

“If you don’t cut the snake off at the head, you run the risk of it whipping around and biting you.”

I’m no fan of either Malcolm Turnbull or Julie Bishop. I hope & pray that Malcolm has indeed learnt from his past failures and that he will in fact stick to the agreed plan. But what he can do, that Mr Abbott couldn’t is sell a vision and a strategy. Malcolm is the consummate debater. If you watched him in question-time today, he was masterful. He just beat the opposition off and highlighted their own incompetence in the process.  

Malcolm has been a very successful business man and he is no fool. Whilst his personal leanings tilt further to the left than Tony Abbott, I seriously doubt he will make the same mistakes twice. That said, we need to hold him to that commitment. Whilst many of the more active right wing social media, posters claim he’ll only pick up left supporters, that simply isn’t true. He will also pick up a lot of the middle ground we have lost and that is crucial. 

There are three things that are clear to me. We’ve been in denial for far too long. Our problems have been there for all to see, we had our chances, we didn’t take them. Like many, I’ve been hoping and praying things would pick up. Week after week my heart has sunk further and further. That has come to a head this week. 

Many of us moved quickly to the anger stage. I understand that. I’m angry. I’m angry with Mr Abbott for not taking action. I’m angry with the swiftness and the timing. I’m angry because I was hoping for a miracle that wasn’t forthcoming. But I know something had to change. 

So for me, I’m moving on to acceptance. The deed is done, now I’m focusing my time and energy on defeating Labor and the Greens. If others want to spend their time destroying the Liberal brand, so be it. I want no part of it. There is far too much at stake. The party is bigger than one man. 

Dear Prime Minister Abbott

Dear Mr Abbott

You have many fine qualities which I admire and I value in a leader; courage, loyalty, tenacity, decency, values and strength. Strengths I want to see in leaders, in all walks of life.

But in saying that, it is sometimes those very qualities, that if misused, can also lead to a leader's downfall. Sadly, the perception I have, is that some of those qualities are being misused by you and as a result, they are letting you and many of your conservative supporters down. I know from discussions I have with many longstanding conservatives,  I am not the only one who feels this is the case. 

I accepted, that is was never going to be easy, for a first term conservative government, coming to power after six years of the chaos of Labor. And, in particular following a Labor government, who left more land-mines than in the killing fields in Afghanistan. That said, as a conservative supporter, I’ve hung in there through thick and thin. But I’m finding it harder to keep supporting what I am now witnessing.

I had high hopes when the Liberal & Nationals were handed the keys to The Lodge. In opposition I watched a strong team, unified in their mission to rescue the country from years of waste, dysfunction, back stabbing and chaos. Sadly, now I am witnessing similar behaviours in your team.

I am a middle of the road conservative. I am concerned about the economy, our security, jobs and growth. I believe in an environment where people are encouraged to be self-sufficient and not be a drain on the ‘public purse’. I accept that in a world driven by social reformers, who believe the government ‘owes’ people a living, that driving to self-sufficiency is a huge change effort and some ‘eggs will be broken” along the way.

I believe, as Australians, we can compete with and lead the best in the world. I am disappointed that important drivers that enable that, like the economy, our security, jobs and growth are being highjacked by soft issues such as same sex marriage. As a result, Labor, the Greens, the left media and sadly some within our own party are driving the political debate. I was delighted when you announced your intention to consider a plebiscite. I was hopeful the debate would settle down and government could get on with the important issues. But alias, that was not to be. I will come back to this point.

I know many good things are still happening. The passing of the research fund. Good news on the economy and jobs. But apart from the odd program like Bolt or articles such as the one published by Peter Switzer, in his excellent piece of August 18 headed up “Be warned. A politician called Joe Hockey is telling us the truth” (link below), we see nothing in the news unless we search for it. And we hear little from you, talking this up. So the vast majority of people only see and hear the negative stories promoted by the ABC, SBS and Fairfax with the able assistance of Sky and the rest of the electronic media. No wonder the faithful are losing faith. Add to that, the disgraceful misleading TV ads by unions and we have a sense of despair creeping in.

Sadly, far too much of the negativity is being fuelled by some within our own party. I was therefore very pleased to hear today that you will be taking tough action against leakers. Great, but we need to see action, not just words. It’s fine to present a different point of view to the public. In fact it’s healthy. But when key discussions are leaked or when MP’s and Ministers air their very vocal opposition to decisions made, in a public forum,  the message the electorate hears is; one of disunity. That is not a good look Mr Abbott. “We load the gun and hand it to the opposition to shoot us in the head.”

Which leads me to my next point; loyalty. You have a well deserved reputation for loyalty. But loyalty can also blind us to the perceptions of others; perception is reality in the eyes of many. I feel (and I know I am not alone) that Malcolm Turnbull and Christopher Pyne have demonstrated their disloyalty on a number of occasions, and therefore they need to go. Bronwyn Bishop was sacrificed over the expenses scandal and Christopher Pyne supported her accuser, Tony Burke.  The man who bullied Mrs Bishop out of office and who has been proven to be a significant serial abuser of tax payer dollars.  That is appalling. Malcolm Turnbull on the other hand made a big show of catching a train from Melbourne to Geelong; an act of deliberate public mocking. Disgraceful.

I should add at this point, that it is to your credit, that you appointed a team to review politicians expenses and that shows you have courage. I am sure, many within your own party,  who seem to think that access to tax payer funds is a right regardless of questionable justification, were not happy about that. But, you responded to the overwhelming electorate outrage and I am grateful that you are dealing with this obvious abuse. Well done. But, following your announcement in confirming the report would be completed first half 2016 was a huge disappointment to me. I feel that is far too long.  The report needs to produced before the end of the year. If it isn’t, it simply looks like delaying tactics and an opportunity to restore faith with the community will be wasted. People have short memories.

So back to loyalty and solidarity. I would never support any group where every member of the team thinks the same. Different viewpoints are important and essential to the effective performance of any team. However, once debate has taken place, the arguments from all sides heard, and the decision of the collective group reached (based on the agreed decision criteria be that unanimous, 80/20 or the power of one) then that final decision must be supported in public. That is an important key in maintaining faith with the electorate. I haven’t always agreed with every decision your team has made. However, if I understand the logic, the overall benefits (not necessarily a personal benefit to me) then I support the decision. And, in my own small way I do that in public, to my own detriment at times. It was very disappointing therefore, to have Ministers breeching the party room decision on SSM. Christopher Pyne in particular was very vocal in condemning the process and the inclusion of the Nationals team. Malcolm Turnbull was another who could not wait to voice his concerns to anyone prepared to listen. Once again the perception of the electorate is that of a divided team with some members outwardly undermining the leader. That’s hard to defend.

It is blatantly obvious your PMO is not doing their job. With respect Mr Abbott, neither are you. The Labor Party and the Greens supported by an ever increasingly left learning media are winning the battle. They lie, they bully and you and your PMO appear to do nothing.

You have a good story to tell. Many of the pressing issues we asked to be addressed in changing government, have been delivered and are being maintained. Carbon and mining taxes repealed. Boats stopped, borders secured and the backlog of people in asylum centres and in the community being assessed and necessary action taken. Hundreds of children released. The economy is being dealt with; challenges acknowledged. Since the second budget was released, hardly a word of dissent has been heard; well done. Social Services, under the very capable guidance of Scott Morrison is addressing issues such as welfare abuse. Great news. Trade deals with major trading partners signed. But all of this great work is constantly overshadowed by soft issues like SSM, which frankly benefits a very small minority within the community.

People like me who want to see an LNP government returned next election are growing weary. I’m tired of the undermining within the party that results in members cancelling their membership, after 20 years of loyal support as some have. I’m tired of the one sided media push and the open bias of the ABC (in particular). I tired of spending hours of my time on social media platforms, on blogs etc, defending our government who appears incapable of using those same resources to defend themselves and to support us.

So what do I want from you?

I would like you to have the courage to deal with those in the cabinet who are playing into the opposition's hands. Strip them of portfolios, demote them, force them to resign. I don’t care, as long as they are dealt with in the most efficient way. In essence remove the deadwood.

I would like you to have a media strategy to take the opposition parties and unions head on. Call them out on their blatant lies, particularly those being pushed by unions via various TV ads. Even the ABC showed a union ad attacking Commissioner. That is appalling.

I would like you to clean out the deadwood in the PMO and to set-up a mechanism for listening to what people are saying on social media and to actively respond to feedback. We need a greater share of voice in all media areas; print, electronic and particularly social.

If you can’t or are unwilling to do what is necessary, I would like you to consider stepping aside and handing the reigns over to someone who is capable of taking control back. We want to win the next election but time is running out. We are rapidly losing support and without dramatic change that will only get worse if not dealt with now.

I don’t think that is a lot to ask Mr Abbott. Courage, loyalty and strength, you have those attributes, now it’s time to act. We simply can’t afford to let a Labor/Greens government back into power.

Be Warned: A Politician Called Joe Hockey is Telling The TRUTH

It Was NEVER Going To Be Easy

If you are a conservative, it takes nerves of steal to read and listen to the day in day out attacks on the government. Nerves of steel to hang in there, and not bail out as some have done. But remember, these are not just attacks on Tony Abbott and the LNP, they are attacks on us as well. So unless we are doubting our convictions we have no choice but to stand up and voice our opinions and call out BS when we see it. 

When we voted the LNP into government in, in 2013 we did so on the basis that we could no longer afford an out of control dysfunctional Labor government. We demanded change and we wanted pressing issues fixed.

* Carbon Tax gone

* Boats stopped 

* Mining tax gone 

* Start to bring debt under control 

One - three have been resolved and four is being addressed. Whilst our debt continues to increase (largely in part as a result of a rapidly declining resources market and funding previous government commitments), the level at which the debt has grown has been reduced due to a lot of hard slog led by Treasurer Hockey.  

Since 2013, the government has been under unmerciless attack from a Labor, the Greens and the ever increasingly left leaning media.  The anti government cheer squad at the ABC and Fairfax leading the chorus. Recently however, some journalists in the Murdoch press have joined the yapping ABC & Fairfax, supported by many from Sky, SevenNews, Nine and 10. 

Through this attack Tony Abbott has maintained dignity. Not involved himself in mudslinging, certainly hasn't screamed discrimination like a previous PM. He has stuck to the course. He's bumbled along the way. His mere gesture of a wink causing a media meltdown and yet the blatant corruption of the opposition leader hardly rates a mention. 

We've been through the recent travel rorts where Tony Abbott has borne the brunt of the Bronwyn Bishop disclosure. Yet, Bill Shorten walks away from the ten times worse Tony Burke disclosure. It's hard to comprehend that could be the case, but sadly it is. 

Now we are facing attacks on the Trade Union Commissioner Dyson Haydon. Accusations based on acceptance to deliver an address (2 years ago) that was timed to take place after the commission was completed. And which the commissioner has now declined, for the very reason the commission is still sitting. Nothing corrupt or sinister in that. The story was timed, to try derail the commission before the next appearance of Bill Shorten. 

Make no mistake, this commission will snare the opposition leader Shorten and his union buddies. This cynical attack, launched by interested parties, is a collective endeavour, to try and maximise the damage to both the commission and the PM and it's nothing more than desperation. Tony Abbott had the guts to kick off this commission and he is hated for it by powerful union bosses and their political and media allies.  If they didn't have anything to hide they wouldn't be trying so hard to stop it.

I'm not a Tony Abbott groupie. There are many things I don't like about him. BUT I admire courage and decency and he has that in spades.  He has the courage to stand up to bullies and he has the courage to drive the necessary change to get this country back on an even keel. That won't make him popular, but it will make him effective. 

I know what it is like, after spending years driving change in business. I have some empathy for Tony Abbott because of my experiences. It's a very lonely path at times, and even some of those who supported you in the beginning bail out when the going gets really tough. So, as stated at the start, you have to have nerves of steel to complete the course. 

"You don't have to be liked, you just have to be effective"..  Abbott is effective.