The Liberal Party Terrorists

If I was in Barnaby Joyce’s shoes, I’d be tearing my hair out over what is going on within the Liberal Party. As a member of the coalition group, The Nationals fortunes to a large degree rely on a strong and united Liberal party.  Instead, the Liberal Party are beset with infighting, and accusations of disunity and divide. We have the ex-Prime Minister who takes every opportunity to stick in a barb despite stating he wouldn’t do that. We have a Prime Minister who appears to not be able to reign Abbott in. We have media who feed off this stuff and the willing leakers who are providing them with anything that will create a negative headline. I don’t mind admitting that as a member of the Liberal Party, I am tearing my hair out and I know for sure I’m not the only one. 

After years of relative stability and prosperity we plunged into the dark ages of six years of Labor. I won't rehash their failings they are well known. It was with a sense of overwhelming relief that the LNP coalition sweep into power in 2013. It wasn’t long before key election commitments were delivered. Boats, Carbon Tax, Mining Tax gone. Then came the budget and the ‘ship floundered’. We were paddling madly to stay afloat. 

Progress was stalling and every little glitch, stumbled word, fleeting glance was front page news. Relationships that were tenuous unravelled before out eyes. Internal power plays became the standard game. In February 2015 a message was delivered to Tony Abbott; take control of the bridge, get back on course or face the consequences. 

The next seven months were a low point in our Liberal history. The accusations and infighting continued. The get squares and removal or sidelining of anyone who posed a threat to positions of power was par for the course. “You leak and blame the other guy” strategy was in full swing. We continued to flounder. The parliamentary party said enough and in September we had a new leader. Once more there were signs of relief but this time we also had the insidious declarations of open warfare. It took no time and we were back where we started. The architects of the destabilisation were still there. Only their motivation had changed. This time their sights are set on bringing down the so called usurper Turnbull and with it, the  Liberal party. 

Had the ship had been in good shape in 2015 there wouldn’t have been a ‘mutiny’. But it wasn’t. While change was needed there is a group in the parliamentary party that did not, will not and cannot accept that. The same applies to the anti-Liberals within the community.

The upshot of that is we now have within our parliamentary ranks a destructive rogue gang. Some label them the Liberal Taliban. I think that's an accurate description. They are hell bent on wrecking the Turnbull Govt and along with it the country. 

Over the coming weeks there will be more and more destabilisation. We are hearing and seeing the commentary around the so called rift between Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison. Much has been made over Scott Morrison’s exclusion from the PM’s inner sanctum meeting on Sunday night. The Telegraph and Australian both ran stories today stating who and isn’t in the inner sanctum. The laugh is, they have different lists. I think the leakers need to liaise more before they feed this stuff to the press. 

We can expect to see an increase in contradictory statements made by the rouge group to those made by Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison and the rest of the cabinet.  There is a deliberate strategy to distract the media and the public from the key message, to spook the electorate and fire up the disenchanted. 

Two of our female Ministers will be key targets. Don’t be surprised if there are more leaks relating to our subs contract. That's part of the get square. People within the rogue group will do everything within their power to thwart the DD strategy. They are still hanging onto the feigned hope of an Abbott resurrection. Winning government from a DD hurts their cause. 

The puerile campaign to let's make Malcolm look stupid is underway with the ridiculous stories, cartoons and media comment associated with his “Continuity and Change” comment. Claims it was stolen from Veep highlights the lack of intelligence of those pushing it. The study and adoption of Continuity and Change strategy has been around well before some cheap comedy. India and Russia have included “Continuity and Change” as a Foreign Policy foundation for years. It's frequently used in academic texts, including here. Religions use it as do businesses. A quick Google check proves it. For the record Veep used “Continuity With Change.” I think is a great vision statement but we do need to see what the plan is to achieve it. The budget and election policy plans should make that clear. If it doesn’t yet it needs to and it needs to. 

So folks batten down the hatches we are in for a rocky ride. It will get dirty. The true nature of the rogue gang will be evident. The usual line up of media bile pushers  will be out in force salivating over every bit of juicy gossip. 

In the meantime Bill Shorten and Labor are going about their business, largely unchallenged and just sticking their heads up from time to time to point the finger; hey look at that lot over there. 

That we have people within our own Liberal parliamentary ranks who’d rather destroy the party instead of our opposition I think is reprehensible. No wonder Labor are laughing at us. Let's just pray they don’t take the rest of us down with them. 

Work Smarter, Not Harder: Political Game Plan

The name of the game is working smarter not harder. Using what assets you have available to you to achieve your ultimate objective; reclaim office in 2016.

In politics, the leader who is faced with ministers and others who are not performing and this is coupled with the internal challenges of people sitting in different camps he/she has only a few options.  The camps could probably be managed but when those camps are stocked with immature backbenchers, the challenge becomes even greater. Let’ face it, the Conservatives have an overabundance of immature backbenchers. They don’t have the staying power needed, to deliver unpopular change which is essential to set us up for the future. It’s all about self with them.  

So what are some of the possible limited options?

• Move people on and then face an internal revolt from the opposing camp? It might work if the anti-camp numbers were on the lower side. But very dicey if not. You could possibly afford to do it, if your electoral 'stocks' were high and you have time to weather the storm. But in the case of our PM his stocks are unfairly low and time is pressing. So, if you are presiding over a camp of vipers, who have already tried to destabilise you, it's probably not the best option. 

• You can leave the deadwood and the traitors where they are. In essence do nothing. That would surely mean continuing to fight leaks to a salivating media. Disenfranchise your support base (we are seeing evidence of that already).  You would risk certain further challenges to your leadership. All of this can be distracting and if you are an achiever as the PM is, incredibly frustrating; always looking over your shoulder to see where the next knife is coming from. That is debilitating and exhausting and it takes you back to scenario one at some. The point where everyone on both sides as had enough.   

• Or you can stand back and let ‘nature’ take its course. Take the arm’s length approach and let someone else determine the 'deadwoods' fate. Be that the media, the electorate or even the opposition. Or simply let the deadwood hang themselves. You achieve the desired result, you don’t have blood on your hands and you are responding to the electorates’ demands.  

In the third scenario you will cop flak (a bucket load of it) certainly from your supporters. They will judge you as being weak and indecisive. In fact it’s the opposite. Those would seek to drop the ‘flak bucket’ with all due respect aren’t perhaps that strategically minded or aware of the internal goings on at a deeper level. I think this is the game Tony Abbott is playing. It's risky, it's courageous but in my opinion, it's smart.

Mr Abbott has a lot of deadwood and far too many gutless backbenchers who turn at the slightest bit of pressure. Remember the 39 would be assassins? There is one less now, but they are still there.  If Mr Abbott had moved on Bronwyn Bishop many of those assassins would have been screaming for a spill.

I like Bronwyn and let’s face it; we have too few good women in politics. Bronwyn has been a long standing loyal servant and whilst I think her helicopter misdemeanour was foolish, it wasn't a hanging offence. Certainly not in light of what has surfaced since. But the question that has been overlooked in the helicopter fiasco is her performance.

Having declared my personal feelings toward her I need to be honest and say, she wasn't the greatest Speaker. It's fair to say she was tested day in day out in QT by the recalcitrant children on the opposition bench. But even I cringed over some of her decisions and I have a ‘blue eye’.  That said, nothing was going to improve and she was becoming a distraction. QT was turning into Labor 'versus with the speaker' battleground deflecting the Govt from its task of demolishing the opposition. You only had to follow the twitter timeline to see that. Over the last two sittings in particular running comment was about the Speaker and who on the opposition bench she had kicked out, not the Govt frontbenchers silencing the opposition and highlighting the flaw in the oppositions attack.  So thanks to the opposition, media and electorate Mrs Bishop is gone. Hopefully, the new Speaker will be a secondary player and not manipulated by the opposition to play the starring role.

Managing costs is a burning issue for the PM. He is well aware of the gross abuse of parliamentary travel rorts. As we have discovered this is a problem everywhere. LNP, Labor, Independents & Greens all have abusers within their ranks. If the PM was to try and fix this he would be slaughtered. It has been tried in the past and voted down. Now, the electorate outrage is at such a level even Bill Shorten agrees something has to be done.  

And I should add Christopher Pyne isn't the greatest performer. The electorate will judge him harshly over his travel rorts.  I dare say a few others will also fall into that camp as well and hopefully a few will be consumed by guilt and jump ship.

Sadly Mrs Bishop was the sacrificial lamb and we owe her a huge debt.

So yes, I think Tony Abbott is playing a very interesting game. There will be more ‘outings’ over coming months. There will be endless rumours of challenges. The media has already started their three monthly ‘leadership challenge’ rumours (now called hints). As Conservatives we need to stand firm. Weather the storm. There is a plan, that plan has been put into play. You either choose to ride with it or continue to attack those you purport to support. The true blues will ride it out.

To quote Sun Tzu:

 "A military operation involved deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective"

"All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which the victory is evolved"