Poirot "Magnificent Mal's thought bubbles - this last one lasted less than 24 hours before it was scrapped.
He looks like a fool."

As Shadow Minister mentioned Poirot, Malcolm is obviously a bright bloke, so do you seriously imagine that he suggested these tax reforms with no thought at all as to the consequences?

He had some sort of agenda and I think it has to do with suggesting to the States that if they don't take most of the responsibility for taxes to raise money for health and schools in their own states, well then the Federal Government can't be blamed for inflicting whatever taxes they want onto the public!

I don't think he would have mentioned it to many of his far right-wing colleagues because they may have had a stroke. It won't be a popular policy, like Abbott's one on 'stopping the boats', so he had to think of a round about way of introducing the hard decisions about how to fund education and health needs.

I don't think Mal is stupid at all...

Yes, Suse....as a matter of fact, I do think Mal suggested these tax reforms with no thought as to the consequences.

Most media commentators are of the same opinion.

There was no documentation to back it up.

It barely lasted 24 hours.

It was a brain fart of distinction.

Did you read the young Mal's scathing opinion of returning income taxing powers to the states, cica 1976?

1942....1942 is where the innovativeTurnbull wishes to take us.

Dear Suse,

Malcolm Turnbull to me represents a proper chance
in policy terms to what a real Liberal Party could
be, and as stated earlier -
electorally, it could be a force to be
reckoned with.

If you Googled -" Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull is asked whether income tax reform
is a double tax?" the link is worth a read.

As is - the link - " How Malcolm Turnbull could reclaim
Liberal Party values."

My apologies, due to further computer problems I'm
unable to provide these links for you. However they're
on the web and worth reading.

Regardless of what anyone says it will be the voters
at election time who will judge Malcolm Turnbull and
I bet that Malcolm Turnbul and the Coalition will win
the next election, and the one after that.

SM,

"Are left whingers so seriously naive as to think that MT on becoming PM was going to shift the coalition to the left of Labor?..."

Not this little black duck...I've been attempting to alert Suse and Foxy to this fact - with little success.

....

Suse,

Yes, we all know Turnbull is supposed to be bright - brilliant even.

The thing is that politics is a tad different to his other successes in life.

I'm sure when he was at the Bar, he revelled in his role. He fashioned the narrative and went from there.

The problem he has now is that he can't control the narrative...and when he can't control the narrative he comes up hollow.

In an attempt to counter his lack of control, he tries to be cunning. He knows people like yourself are aware of his reputation for being "bright" - and that gives him some leeway - until his bright ideas are on the table where they're quickly revealed to have either no substance or to be completely insane.

His judgement is in question here, as it was in the wake of utegate.

In politics he appears to be rather adept at making a fool of himself.

I had hoped for more from him, especially as he replaced the chaotic Abbott.

However, he's going to have to do more than wake up in the morning with a "bright idea", trot along to a sports field and deploy it like an amateur.

Perhaps he thinks standard gauge rail is overrated too?

Foxy, Suse,

Just point out that Turnbull's latest folly is not "reform".

Far from it - it's merely passing the buck onto the states and retrograding us back to WWII where we'd be saddled with myriad different taxing regimes.

Tax reform would take some real brilliance - not the coward's way out.

Poirot, I watched the Insiders program this morning on ABC, and they all thought the same thing as me, so I am pleased I am not the only one to imagine that Turnbull is not a stupid as he appeared first on this tax reform.

I am not saying it was a good idea at all, just that he maybe thought about it more than most people think. I doubt Turnbull left his brain at the door of Parliament House as he became Prime Minister. To suggest he is not so bright now he has a political career, rather than in law or journalism, is a bit of a stretch, even for you.

Thanks Foxy, I will look up those links and get back to you.
Keep the faith!