"There was a glimmer of hope that the Nationals might - just might - fill the void the Liberals have left behind".

You would have had to be very naive to hope that. The Nationals are just politicians like any other. Canavan is the only "goodie", but he has no sway.

The Nationals are rooted. The Liberals will soon be rooted. They just don't get it.

The Nationals have been a weak bunch for years, and under the leadership of Barnyard Joy they are even more pathetic. As for Morrison its a zero policy on nett zero.

The Nats have simply been true to type. When given a choice between conviction and a pork-barrel, they went for the pork-barrel as they always do.

Both Coalition parties have now gone woke in respect of the climate change scare. This will be a boon for parties like One Nation, the Lib Dems, etc and will cost Morrison the next election. He is starting to look more and more like Turnbull, and will follow him into a political grave!

Onya ttbn.

I have no idea why Barnaby Joyce the Nationals backflipped on their sensible stand against the whole idea of HIGW. But then I don't know why the Libs under Morrison backflipped either. I can only guess that the Lib/Nats feel that so many young people have been brainwashed into believing in this BS that they feel that they are losing the youth vote.

They may also realise that the alarmist ideology is very prevalent among the leaders of countries within the western world. These leaders apparently think that they can destroy their own economies, but somehow they will muddle through and still be economically strong. Perhaps Morrison they did not want want to be considered a renegade among his big boy peers? Perhaps, he and Barnaby cynically went for the short solution? That is, nodding their heads to everything in cop26 knowing that the deadlines for so called "net zero" are decades away. They can just make a few well publicised gestures towards attaining net zero and keep the international heat off Australia, and themselves.

In 2050 when the world has not ended, the arctic is not ice free, the polar bears have not drowned. Manhattan and London have not been drowned. Seas have risen only marginally. And "entire nations have not been wiped off the earth", the Alarmists will just do what they always do, put the deadline for "End of Times back another decade or three.

By that time Europe will be bankrupt and over run with illegal immigrants. Paris will resemble Beirut, complete with the mismanagement and the anarchy. Unless the western world comes to it's senses, the entire western world will go the way of Rhodesia and South Arica. Some people can not see anything until their backs are to the wall.

NEWS FLASH.

AOC has decreed that we have until 2020 to save the planet. I thought it used to be 2000? Then 2010. Then 2015. Sort of like the old Soviet 5 year plans. We never quite get their comrades, but next time, for sure.

Alas Dr Prasser is sadly correct, as are most of the comments so far. The Nats politicians are and always have been opportunists ( like their counterparst on the left, The Greens). They through much and abuse while hideing behind their senior coalition partners, but when they must standb y the demands of their electorate, they retreat. The Nats may follow the fate of Charlie, but who else will oppose the climate change cult and its latest scam "Net Zero Everything".

Equally so, the Libs are loosing the plot and may loose as badly as the Nats. I doubt they will be crushed like the Stuarts, but they may be seriously wounded by desertions to one Nation and Craig kelly's followers with Clive P.

Who knows, but one thing is clear, our pollies do not represent their electorate and its about time the media focused on this... But then the media are driving this to help their Labour/Green Pollie mates gain power!

I think Dr. Prasser, with his great knowledge of Australian politics has well explained the current state of play by the Liberals and Nationals. The secret deal done by the two parties will never be revealed to outsiders- we will just have to guess what deal was done- apart from Mr. Pitt moving back into Cabinet. The pork barreling deals are in the dark.

The old saying, "past performance is usually a good indicator of future action", has to be enlarged by the fact that the looming Federal election could well be a terminal event for the present government. Mismanagement, both in administration and financial, has been enormous.

Public perception is that this government does not read the mood of the electorate very well. The misjudgment and penny-pinching by Morrison over purchases of vaccines has unnecessarily extended the lockdowns we have experienced.

Therefore, there can be little credit claimed by this Government for its weak and sad failings over the course of this term in office.

The latest diplomatic farce with the termination of the French submarine purchase just highlights Morrison's ineptness for the job.

It is highly unlikely that the bit players in Australian politics will have much to offer voters in the forthcoming election- and the likes of Palmer/Kelly and Hanson will drift into obscurity. The policy lines have been drawn between the two major parties, and time is the only thing that matters now.

I think the problem is that first the Libs, & then the Nats were forced to give in to the ridiculous net zero by 2050 rubbish by the international financial system, & it's operators.

These people have obviously come onboard with this rubbish as they can see huge financial gain for those at the top of the chain in pushing this rubbish, & have Oz over a barrel.

If anyone is to blame for us getting into this situation it is us. We have invested all our wealth in our housing. Thus we do not have the money to invest in our major projects. We are completely dependent on international money for any new business venture, including mining, about the only thing we do really profitably. I'll bet that our government were told, "get on board net zero, or your government, & your private business borrowing ability will suddenly become totally zero"

Morrison has refused to agree to cutting our coal mining, & has been thoroughly attacked internationally for it. I guess he thinks he can get away with that much. I completely agree. Other countries are going to need our coal in increasing amounts as the ridiculous waste of billions on windmills becomes apparent even to fools like Boris & German Chancellor Angela Merkel, as the blackouts & price hikes destroy their economies.

It is a pity Morrison & then the Nats were not brave enough to tell the financial world to go jump. Hope they are stronger when the same powerful lot come after our livestock numbers. That Chinese curse 'May you live in interesting times" is all too alive & well in the world today.

The decline of the Nationals started when they changed the name from Country party with the forlorn hope that they would pick up votes from the cities. In reality, what happened was that a lot of the poorly informed farmers wondered what had happened and thought that their party had just disappeared. It also meant that they now had two quite disparate groups of voters who they needed to appease. Not a recipe for success as the Labor party has discovered as they endeavor to meet the needs of the blue collar workers and the educated cohort.
David

They're now so far out of step with community values, I don't think even liberal preferences will save them! Or the ubiquitous how to vote cards.

In fact, I believe second preferences may work against them this time with one nation and the Australia party and other independents getting enough second and third preferences to reduce them to one or two seats on the opposition benches?

If they had the wit to back in carbon-free nuclear power, that might not be the case? And may not need very many liberal preferences to increase their seats?
Alan B.