Turnbull is certainly “the author of his own demise”. He would have to be the most arrogant, disconnected leader ever - and that includes Kevin Rudd. I don't really see Dutton as the right person for the job, either; but, anything to get rid of Turnbull is the most important thing at the moment. I don't think he can “reclaim the base” in time for an election; I'm not sure anyone will manage that any time soon. The damage done to the Liberal party by Turnbull and his lefty lapdogs, Bishop, Pyne, Birmingham and Freydenberg - plus fence sitter in chief, Morrison - is too deep to win the coming election, and might be too devastating to ever return the party to what it was. It's almost makes sense to see that gang as Green/Labor plants, intent on doing the Liberal party to death.

We should all concentrate very hard on how we vote in the senate so that we will have some protection from the inevitable Shorten Labor government - Turnbull's parting legacy.

Watch the drama on ABC24 TV screened right now.

Now that the Kingmaker Mathias Cormann has spoken (9.45am Thurs 23 Aug)

Turnbull has only a 30% chance of surviving a Leadership Ballot held

today or tomorrow.

From the oncoming Leadership Ballot or Turnbull's decision before any

Ballot to RESIGN the most likely replacement is Dutton, of course. But

there is an outside chance that Cormann may stand as a compromise

canditate for PM.

The thought of Peter Dutton as Prime Minister terrifies me.
Now Matthias Cormann - that's a totally different story.
Bring it on!

Well, there's no foregone conclusion that Dutton can carry the day. Further, he may not even be eligible to stand as a member given he or his trust receives a benefit from the commonwealth as subsidies for his child care centres? And he had a tilt and lost by a more than convincing margin.

To have another tilt so soon puts considerable question marks on his character and political acumen and shows how much he is driven by the acquisition of power for its own sake?

Moreover, should he survive as a member from high court scrutiny of his eligibility? And then and only then should he mount another challenge.

And Malcolm has to agree to relinquish his position as well.

Dutton might win a vote to make him the leader but there is no law that then forces the PM to resign! Just custom and convention!

Even then should Malcolm accept the will of the party he and one or two liberals could choose to resign from the party and sit on the cross benches? Forcing Prime Minister Dutton to call for an early election, which he would almost certainly lose?

Furthermore, a thoroughly disenchanted Malcolm could decide to form his own party and contest key seats currently held by slim margins by hardline conservatives and ineffectual nats? And create a huge schism in the coalition, by splitting the moderate libs from the hard right conservatives? Who may find they are far less popular than even they believed?

And could be completely routed in the very next election?

Yes, Dutton could succeed in destroying a once great party and condemning it to follow the Democrats and the Dodo?

And with that event allow Australia to grow up, embrace real democracy, a republic, mandatory nuclear energy, future vision and cooperative capitalism?

And with those essential change allows a turbocharged economy to go into overdrive and create a nation where the original fairminded egalitarianism and unprecedented prosperity separates us from a world gone mad?
Alan B.

Now is a good a time as any to bring attention to one quite stupid intention of Dutton's - the removal of the GST from electricity prices. That would be letting the gouging power companies off the hook. The ACTUAL PRICE of electricy has to be reduced: the price per KWH and the supply charge. But, what we really need is the return of the essential service to public ownership. Private ownership of essential services us just plain wrong.

Yeah Dutton should of spoken of ripping up the Paris Climate and renewables fraud instead of another bandaid solution. Still if Turnbull had of been PM instead of Abbott we would still have hundreds of thousands of illegals coming on boats and still have a riduculous carbon tax. People have short memomories. Remember it was the hatred of the lefist media that got Turnbull the job.