Suse,

"I think Barnaby Joyce may just make the difference in this alliance and hopefully lower the 'rightness' of the Coalition."

It just gets worse...have you listened to Barnaby articulating on the floor of the House?

Most of the time he sounds like a drunk addressing a lamppost.

"Who is the alternative?"

No alternative until this rotten regime is decimated - and the Liberals return to their roots and not some extremist far-right neocon outfit. You only have to look at Canad's Harper govt and the UK Tories to understand where these types want to take us...and Malcolm is with them all the way.

Even if you think he's shelved his "real principles" in the interim (which I doubt) - what sort of man sells out his principles to gain the the top job?

A man with no principles - that's who.

Well wonders will never cease. I actually agree with Poirot on something. Yes Turnbull is nothing but a hot air balloon. With any luck he'll get hot enough to drift away in the morning breeze like the ones that take tourists for a ride. He's certainly taken our ladies for a ride.

He is, just as I predicted, becoming more like Rudd than Rudd ever was. He has obviously taken lessons from some of Rudd's failures, & is doing nothing, at least not until the next election. It is obvious he wants to be as bad for us as that fool Obama has been for the USA.

Unlike our vitriolic lady, I thank god for Barnaby, his presence will stop the hot air dummy doing any of the stupid things that Rudd managed to do with his Labor fools, or Obama has done illegally in the states.

Dear Poirot,

Malcolm Turnbull, I consider a "Tall Poppy"
We have a problem with Tall Poppies in this country.
Because they are better and achieve more than
the rest of us. Read the link I gave about
Turnbull in my earlier post. His achievements
are notable. Whatever he aims for, he
eventually - succeeds.
Be it law, business, journalism, or politics.
However, He can't make many sudden changes too soon
because he can't afford to alienate his own party. However,
once he wins the next election - it will be a
different story. We should wait until after the
next election to judge him.

Would you rather have Mr Abbott back?
I didn't think so.
And experience the chaos we've gone though in
the past year?

History shows that it is healthy to have governments
of different political persuasion from time to time.
Sometimes they just may surprise us.

Poirot, I am with Foxy on this one.
I remain incredibly thankful Turnbull and his supporters dropped Abbott.
Surely even just that fact is good enough?

Unless you can put up a better alternative to him, you don't have much ammunition really. I agree that the Coalition has lost its way in a far-right fundamentalist fashion over the past 10 years or so, but we have 2 new leaders now and I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Labor's offerings are worse at present, so we really have no choice anyway.

Foxy,

Yes, I understand why you believe Malcolm is a "success". You believe he's just going along with extremist right-wing policy and at some point after he wins the election he will suddenly stop trying to destroy Medicare, reintroduce a carbon pricing system, instruct Dutton to cease playing sadistic ping-pong with pregnant asylum seekers, reinstate the hundreds of climate scientists he's sacked, refund the states and cease putting reassure on them to up the GST, sack corrupt and wayward ministers decisively instead of waiting weeks assuring us they have his confidence (until the point where they don't), tell everyone he was only joshing about putting the republic push on hold - and that his old stance is back on the burner.

That's a hell of a huge 180 degree turn for Mr Success - because all the things mentioned above are what he stands for at present.

I ask you and Suse again...what sort of an ethic does a man have if he's willing to institute policies that (you believe) he doesn't support. What a shyster!

Suse,

"Labor's offerings are worse at present, so we really have no choice anyway."

What is worse? Who is worse?

I guarantee any Labor shadow minister could stack up against the govt interchange bench - remember Turnbull has only been in 5 months and has had to redo his ministry once already.

I reiterate, that both of you appear to have had your head turned by what you assume Turnbull should represent. He doesn't. He's indecisive, rambling, non-substantial and his front bench reflects the vacuous nature its leader's style.

Perhaps if you two can get over the fact that as bad as Abbott was, a change in leader who unloads 95% of the same policy formula is not a good thing. I find it startling that you both think the LNP stank under Abbott, but a barely altered policy formula under Turnbull you consider fine and dandy.

congratualtions Poirot you are a better reader of character than you have been given credit for. Turnbull is petrified to change any of Tony's policy. Lets hope Malcolms self interest keeps it that way.