So here we have a green trying to destabilize the libs. Good try Robert, if typically well spun.

Little nora, just why do you think your wishy washy half left voters would vote for Turnbull? Because he's one of them, As we know, Labor types have displayed an unerring ability to chose dreadful people to lead them for 40 years or more, so he should appeal to them.

The only way Turnbull will ever become PM is if he defects to Labor. There is no way a Liberal party, led by Turnbull would get the rusted on vote. Rusted on Liberal voters can see through Turnbull like he was made of smoke. If only we could imbibe some of that ability to smell out a shonk in our lefties. It only took the libs a few months to see through him, but the left are still infatuated.

It is interesting to consider that in fact Turnbull just may boost the Katter's Australia party to prominence.

Katter may be half nutcase, but at least his heart is in the right place. Turnbull, if he has a heart, it is that of a banker, half filled with mud. It is hard to know if he's a banker, a greenie or a socialist, but what ever he is, it is sure not prime minister material. If he became Liberal leader, it would boost Katter's vote immeasurably.

Hasbeen so what is the problem. If Katter gets the lib vote, i am sure he would talk more cense than Abbott.
All i know the libs have got to get a new leader quick, or else they will fade into oblivion. So it may as well be Turnbull, beaten by one vote. Not much grass in the middle.

“Turnbull has been at pains to disassociate himself from the more conservative forces within his own party. “

He could do this more efficiently by resigning and joining the Labor Party, which is what he ought to do, instead of inflicting a Labor representative like himself on the Liberal Party.

As to the “signs that Abbott’s anti carbon tax campaign is running out of steam”, what signs would they be?

The AGW fraud is dead in the water. The release of the Climategate emails in 2009 gave the evidence of the fraudulent attitude of the AGW backers, and time has worked to gain dissemination of the truth, and the dishonesty of fraud backers like Gillard.

We have marriage equality now. What the political activists want is a perversion of the meaning of the word “marriage” to encompass what it has never before included.

Certainly having a leader like Turnbull would lower Liberal’s lead, which is no doubt what the author would like to see.

" failed to deliver any meaningful action on climate change is beside the point"
so..... we now have a carbon dioxide tax and precisely what is that doing about climate precisely ..?

"he is still perceived as a leader who was knifed for standing by his convictions."..... In exactly the same way as Abbot is standing by his convictions. ie, a carbon dioxide tax will do nothing about the climate and add unessary costs to all Australians.

I agree with Leo.

I pay no heed to what a Greens advisor has to say,

The only reason the left is advocating Turnbull is because they see it advantagous for them. Knowing many liberal supporters would change if Turnbull was installed. He completely got it wrong about Liberal party thinking on climate change and tried to bully his view through. Liberals are sceptical about AGW and as time passes they are being shown to be correct. Neither do most want the word marriage to be used for what it is not intended. Homosexuals can find their own word for their union.

While ever Abbott is ahead of Gillard in the polls, the libs would be stupid to change abyway.

Banjo: "Knowing many liberal supporters would change if Turnbull was installed. "

Change? Into what? Werewolves? I think that's probably more likely for someone who's a rusted on Lib voter than voting for just about anybody else. The hard core don't matter, the swing voters have it.

Abbott can lead the polls right through to the next election. Only one poll matters. That's why we are in this governmental quagmire we find ourselves in, Abbott led his party into the last election. Admittedly they made gains, but not enough. They could made gains just by being Liberal.

Question is, what happens if the Libs don't win the next one? Knives at 12 O'Clock? Two chances seems to be all you get in Australian politics, if you're lucky.