In my view the spill gave this government its best chance of winning an election, it would, again in my view have zero chance under Dutton, not in my best interests but for the sake of Liberal party unity should Abbott go?

Dear Belly,

Not going to happen.

That man is out for himself only. And his aim is to
return as PM after the Liberal Party loses the next
election. John Hewson speaking last week - made it
very clear that Tony Abbott's main goal is to be
re-instated as this country's PM.

Hopefully Abbott will accept the job that Scott Morrison
has now offered to him in his Cabinet
- that of "Liaison Officer," for Indigenous Affairs.
That may send him out of Canberra more often - where he can
do the least harm to the PM and the Liberal Party.

with a great record of bringing Australias borders back under control and getting rid of the carbon tax fraud we all owe Tony a great debt. He certainly put Australia first unlike many others. Should he go? That's up to him.

There are still some freeloaders in Buckingham Palace short of a knighthood. Abbott is needed to do the honours for them.

Well my post came to mind mid confrontation,Tony lived by the sword and will, like it or not fall by it, we or some of us, let our biases rule our heads, at the time of our Pommy ex PMs fall Joe Hockey, not Turnbull was the one with knife in hand, that knife was crafted on the red hot forge of public opinion,he could not have won a raffle at that time, even in his party right now, some would be far more than happy to see him gone, if, and it is only an if, today's polls remain until the next election he,, no one else, will wear the road killed beast of defeat around his neck,no party, mine included, can afford in fighting, a move to wash the blood off the party room floor would seem a good idea, say Ambassador to Great Britain? for your party's sake go Mr Abbott Knighthood? Sir Tony of the never ending grudge

Abbott has now saved us from 2 megalomaniacs, Rudd & Turnbull. Hell he had to do it twice with Turnbull.

Come on Belly, we should be giving him a knighthood, rather than the denigration you & Foxy have for him.

Hassie,

The only thing that Tony Abbott could do for his party
and this nation is resign from Parliament. But then
where would he go and what would he do? He's never had
a proper job and he's not experienced to do anything else
except be a seat-warmer in Parliament. So I suspect
that he'll try to hang on for as long as he can until
his electorate throws him out - and there's a possibility
of that happening at the next election - because voters
are beginning to see the real damage this man is causing
despite the fact that he promised not to do so. His
ambition is stronger than his word. Out he must go for the
good of everybody.

Abbott's got his man now so won't further threaten to bring the whole place down if his small team fails get its way on every matter, at least until the election.

The only way Turnbull was going to fail to win the next election was through Abbott's constant public sniping, stirring and public altercation with the party leadership. Abbott succeeded in extorting the party for peace and enough clear air to win under Turnbull.

I do not believe there was a great general appetite to lurch hard to the right within the party, but that was nearly the outcome.

..sorry, that second paragraph should have read .."anybody other than Turnbull"

some of you fellows dont like Abbott ,hes to effective as his record shows and a Danger to those who believe in fairies under the toadstalls at the bottom of the garden

No, Abbott's much more than that.

People who have worked with Abbott and know him have
made it quite clear as Amanda Vanstone stated, "All I
can tell you is my own experience with Abbott is -
whatever you do with him - unless he gets his own way
he'll be disruptive. He won't be a team player unless
he gets what he wants."

And John Hewson stated, "Abbott has got one goal -
which is to get back to the Prime Ministership."

There is a whole lot of remarkable mis-steps that
Abbott has taken - an entire catalogue of errors
that will litter his personal history such as his
opposition to same sex marriage in contrast to 75%
of voters in his Warringah seat who voted for it in
a national plebiscite. His knighthood for Prince Philip
(captain's call) and the list goes on.

The man's got to go.

Seriously. And the voters in Warringah - can do that
for both the party and the nation at the next election.

Abbott's only effectiveness is in opposition, whichever party is in power.

I'm most disappointed that the LNP looks like having no policy to reduce emissions because an AGW denying minority of Liberals has extorted the majority for a smooth ride in an election campaign. The least the majority in the party should now do, while in abrogation of its responsibility to our grand-children, is to work to lower emissions through legalizing nuclear power after the next election, win or lose.

Abbott's only effectiveness is - disruption.

Which is something our Parliament does not need.

I said in an earlier post Queenslanders think differently than the rest of the country, Hasbeen old mate you manage to think differently than almost everyone, Gday to was it pilot? seems you like Hasbeen are blind to Abbotts polling, the huge laugh he gave us in Knighing old Phil the foul mouthed dill, Tony would not win a raffle if he bought every ticket,right now about a third of his party and voters would, if they could, Knight him by dropping Air,s Rock on his head

An honest look will see many in his party want him gone, his party needs him gone, wait, it will not be a long one, and see him offered a bribe/job to just go.

I watched "Four Corners," last night and was
devastated to learn even more about the behaviour
of the extreme right within (and outside)
the Liberal Party during
the past week.

The described "stand-over" tactics
used by many politicians by people like Tony Abbott,
Peter Dutton, Mathias Cormann, Michaelia Cash, and others,
was very disturbing.

And then we also had shock jocks like
Alan Jones, Ray Hadley, Andrew Bolt, and even Peta Credlin
all helping things along. It was very disturbing that
a small minority could have the power to do so much damage.

Tony Abbott is not about to change. As he remarked to Peter
Dutton after the results were in - "Don't worry, it's still
early days..." indicates that there will be more dirty
work coming up.

My hope rests with his electorate kicking him out.

Oh the 'extreme right'. Foxy you really are pathetic. Dutton and Abbott 'extreme right'. Wake up to your stupidity. Your hatred has really blurred your judgement. Look at the term 'extreme right'. Abbott and Dutton are far more moderate than the vicious nasty violent facist from the left. Look at the tantrums, violence and lies of the Trump haters. That is 'extreme'. You are caught up with the lies of the swamp.

runner,

There's so much love coming from you - that's just
impressive. You're such a wonderful Christian example
to us all. We should definitely follow your lead. Such a
great Christian moderate as you are - and you can
definitely identify the trouble makers and divisive
creatures in our midst - while praising the role
models that you so admire - like Tony Abbott,
Peter Dutton, Peta Credlin, Alan Jones, Ray Hadley,
Bolt, and of course the "Make Americqa Great Again"
Donald (Duck) Trump (quack, quack).

Keep up your good work on behalf of these great people.
You will help clear up the "swamp" of Australian
society. You Fraser Anning and others are really what
this country should stand for. Advance Australia Fair!

You misrepresent everyone else Foxy so I'm no exception.

runner,

I'd like to see things from your perspective but
as the saying goes - I can't get my head that
far up my rear end.

Foxy runner is probably not a bad person, not well informed not capable of thinking like the majority but not bad, such people vote one nation and wait for the sky to fall they too see only what they wish to, if a poll was taken from every voter this day your list of right wing folk would be said to be spot on, not understanding truth is the only reason someone would say it is not true

Dear Belly,

I actually like runner. And I know he's got a
good heart and means well.

Abbott should not and will not go.

It's in Australia's interest to have at least one person with a national profile who is prepared to advocate for the right thing rather than the politic thing.

As the consequences of the failing policies of this and the (presumed) next government become increasingly obvious, the people will look to people like Abbott to put us back on the correct path. But things are going to get a lot worse before then.

Comparing great things to small, those with any knowledge of the 1930's might like to ponder that there was a constant call for Churchill to drop out of politics and/or stop interfering and criticising government policy as regards foreign policy. Voices in the wildness are to be treasured, not discarded because they say uncomfortable things.

mhaze,

You're comparing Abbott to Churchill?

Wow!

Unbelievable.

I wrote "Comparing great things to small".

You claim to be literate...wow...unbelievable.

Forget my opinion voters given the chance, nationwide would call on Abbott to leave, given a secret ballot his party would get the job done

mhaze,

My Master's in literature tells a different story.

Besides I based my comment on your "voices in the
wilderness" claim.

Hence - unbelievable.

But if that's not what you meant in reference to Mr Abbott,
then I am somewhat relieved to say the least.

should Abbott go?
Belly,
This is one of those days when I totally agree with you.

Even after Tony was offered an olive branch by his new leader he has stalled while, his words, trying to understand what that offer is, right now even the most rusted on conservative must see him remaining is an open wound to his party,right now enough super conservative,s exist in the party and he will not be missed, stay? if he remains he may well join John Howard as a former PM who lost his own seat

I think Abbott will fade out of the picture whilst Morrison just gets on with the job. He has the chance to be there for the long run if he doesn't put retirement to 70 & fiddle the pension. He should also give Centrelink a massive shake. Immigration needs to go back to the Immigration Department.

Abbott's canny enough to stay low and appear a team-player, doing newsy good deeds with the indigenous, while Warringahites forget his excesses and return him next election. We can expect the usual TA to rear his head again thereafter.

Abbott actually younger than Julie Bishop. Hmmm! No suggestion she is to old?

There's a bloke in Parliament with big ears
Who walks its corridors conjuring fears
He's a man whose ambition knows no bounds
Slithering havoc all around

His aim's to rule and we've come to see
That until he succeeds he won't let things be
The guy's a pollie whose style is rotten
He'll thud us all to the very bottom
He's got powerful friends and many foes
But, for our nation's sake he's got to go.

lovely to see Foxy's sarcasm(hatred) for Abbott after a dozen or so years. For manmy years she was in denial. Should not let him control your life so much Foxy.

runner,

I take it you're against free speech - unless you're the
one speaking it. And criticism does not equate with
"hatred." As a voter who cares about this country - I am
entitled to criticise our politicians and express an
opinion - which you yourself do frequently on this forum

So as I've told you previously - I would love to see things
from your perspective - but then we'd both be wrong.

Can we ask this? why hate Turnbull? let us look at the history here,Turnbull rolled Nelson,well his party supported him in doing that, Abbott rolled Turnbull, by one vote, party supported that, at about that time Labor knifed Rudd, his party did as they had been told,polls still bad Turnbull, and the party rolled Abbott,Abbott hates Turnbull,,Dutton tries to roll Turnbull! fails HA HA HA!Morrison, with Turnbulls backing wins? will Dutton hate him forever? or as long as he is in the house?school yard bully stuff of great use to my ALP so if you insist on another farce keep the man but if winning an election matters more than beating the other side of your party? let my joy continue

Foxy,

You talking about Shorten?

Foxy,

As I said (and as you chose to miss) I was comparing great things with small as one might compare Kosciusko to Everest. Both mountains but not on the same scale.

Churchill had his wilderness years. Of course we only know they were the wilderness years after the event. I see these as Abbott's wilderness years and that, as things worsen here, his positions on CAGW, immigration and renewables will be shown to be right.

But as with the mountains, Abbott's battles to correct the nation's direction is hardly on the same scale as the battle to save Western Civilisation. But in the same neighbourhood.

Churchill constantly offered an alternate view that proved correct and when the time came he was there with the wherewithal to take over and alter course. Similarly it does Australia well to have someone articulating an alternate though unpopular course, who will be ready when the time comes and the unpopular becomes the imperative.

"why hate Turnbull?"

Its not a question of hating the man. He seems reasonably personable and probably a nice chap to share a cheeky Shiraz with.

His policies are the problem and the fact that his personal ambitions tore down a sitting PM.

One doesn't need to hate the man to hate the policies. One doesn't need to hate the man to hate the direction he wants to take the government

I have learnt over the years that the thing that brings out most hatred from regressives is when things they claim can't be done are then done. The lefist media as part of the swamp are among the worse. Instead of humbling themselves and wiping the egg off their face they demomise the achievers. Recent achievements:

1. Boats Stopped
2. Fraudulent carbon tax deleted
3. More jobs for African Americans under Trump (despite Obamas sneering at suggestion not long back)
4. Torn up Paris agreement scam.
5. Israel's US embassy moved to Jerusalem

Yep regressives hate egg all over their faces. It took men of courage and leadership to achieve these things and many more. The swamp hate it the most. They would prefer marxist/feminist women in power that contribute to destroying the natural family while virtue signalling at tax payer cost for a multitude of perverted policy. They don't even acknowledeg the simple fact that a baby born with a penis is a male.

Strangely enpough Turnbull counts the perversion of the marriage act as his number one achievement. Psss!

Shadow Minister,

You know I'm not!

mhaze,

Abbott is the one whose unlikeable presence will
continue to loom larger than life (and logic) in any
cabinet or Ministry silly enough to include him.
He will be a distraction that turns safe seats into
marginal seats.

Highlighted in the posts here is a truth Abbott has far more support here than in the community, the news another, of the few,, female Liberals is not to stand at the next election, reminds us the Liberals are an old boys club with old mens opinions and failure to think as most who vote for them think,too it thrills me to see that and so many seeing in Tony Abbott promise, while I too see promise it is promise of more good deeds for my side of politics not his

Another Liberal has called it like it is! Victorian MP Julia Banks has said she will not re-contest her marginal seat of Chisholm, virtually handing it to the Labor party. Banks blasted the "vindictive" behaviour of the Liberal Party's factional powerbrokers in a thinly veiled attack on those who pushed for Dutton. Banks was pressured, coerced and bullied in the attempt to get her to vote for Dud Dutton. She has had enough of these Liberal gangsters, and will leave parliament at the next election.
If Dutton had won, I am sure there would have been a number of immediate Liberal resignations from parliament, and we would be in full election mode by now. Go for it Mr Potato Head, give it another shot!

again this day news tells us the very uncivil civil war in the government is far from over ,still some think leaving the troublemaker in the team is worth another out break?

1. Boats Stopped
runner,
Are there any positives from the Leftist Governments ?
All I seem to remember is that they left the gates open but nothing else. Oh & yes, the futures fund's gone.

Indy,

The boats didn't stop. While the Liberals were busy doing hatchet jobs on each other last week, a boat load of Vietnamese "tourists" were busy landing in North Queensland and going ashore to do some sight seeing.

I would not at all be surprised if 99% of Border Force are Labor voters, seeing that they are public servants. As it happens, that same day the flash Border Force jet zig-zagged mere miles north of the Daintree & up to Cooktown checking yachties but they failed to detect the old delapitated old foreign fishing boat travelling 400 miles inside australian waters. Maybe if the Borderforce chief got a salary raise from the measly $740,000 perhaps things could improve.

That term inconvenient truth lives again, indy yes Labor got it wrong, yes we let the boats come again, gee yes again it was a stupid thing to do! ok so far? YOUR SIDE knocked back the *best/cheapest/ even now, solution! the Malaysian solution would have *forever* stopped the boats, and been of great benefit in our near neighbors stopping refugees there too, yes, we would, till the boats stopped, have taken in more refugees, but no more boats ever ever, would have come, yes, it is true, LABOR after its BLUNDER started offshore detention,while in its death throws,yes your side continued and expanded it.
Labor must never again stuff up in this area, they and I know voters will never install any party that lets the boats return, that is why this country is on the nose internationally for detention centers, torturing boat refugees rather than using the Malaysian solution was your party's policy

Belly,
From my 50 + years of observing, my conclusion is that a large %age of Liberal voters are just extremely frustrated Labor supporters.
If Labor had been just slightly more sensible & prevent itself from being infiltrated & swamped by Academics/Lawyers then they could be a decent outfit. As it stands the LNP is the lesser of the two evils by a smidgeon.
Economic management will always be the thorn in the side of Labor & compassion in the side of LNP.

Come off it Belly.

The Malaysian rubbish was a damn fool incredibly expensive bit if rubbish, dreamed up by the horror Gillard, to try to get out of trouble.

It would have seen us accept hundreds more than we got rid of.

Talk about rubbish pie in the sky stuff Belly, & you destroy your credibility.

Hasbeen it has yet to be proved you or I have credibility, but the gentleman this thread is about, Tony Abbott, now says he wishes he had taken a better look at the Malaysian solution, it is my dream, the incoming Labor government, will review and if possible install it, benefits? an end to boat arrivals, after a settling in time, as every arrival is sent within days to Malaysia, cost saving after we get to close offshore detention centers, that exist only to inflict punishment on arrivals to stop others trying it, *my view will be rejected by many on the left* but in truth as the west heads towards something very like it,, aimed at stopping millions of refugees it will be seen as worthwhile, yes we will get more refugees, for a while, but we will pick them,,near north neighbors will after some time, not get refugees in their countries

Looking forward to Hasbeens thoughts on the King of right wing conservatives Tony Abbott's views about the Malaysian solution
and predicting such a scheme will be in use all over Europe within five years

Abbott started off ok but went to crap in record time.

It will be interesting to see what both Barnaby Joyce
and Mr Abbott do with the positions that they've accepted
in the new government. As Barnaby Joyce stated -" it's not
the job - its what you make of it that counts."
And how great would it be if he could actually achieve
something for farmers and the drought. And offer solutions
how to cope with this ghastly state of affairs in the future.

Also if Mr Abbott could really strive towards helping
Indigenous children get better educational outcomes and schools
that also would be a step in the right direction.

We can only hope.

IF we put our own opinions and bias in the bucket at the door, and find ourselves tasked with rebuilding voters faith in the coalition government, get the whiteboard out and pen in your mind, surely the first point we write is about showing a party no longer divided?
second may be having one voice, keeping disharmony within the party room, not using mates who are shock jocks?everything we would put on that white board in my view would support the view Joyce and Abbott should/will be offered a bribe/job to go.

I think Abbott & Joyce should prove to the rest of us that they can be a useful success to society in privat enterprise under the Govt policies they helped to implement.

They will in the end, be rewarded with a job as a way of seeing the last of them, such is life in this country's politics

Dear Belly,

It's up to them as to how well they do the jobs
they've been given.
Sometimes people can surprise us when we least expect
them to.

a bit off topic but speaking of retirements I wonder how Hilary is feeling now that her hacked emails have been discovered not in Russia but China. Of course almost silence from the media. I wonder how keen the FBI will be to gaol her?

runner,

Hilary is out of the picture and unlike the current US
President no longer concerns the US Security Forces.
Now the current President - is of a course as they're
finding out more about his dealings with Russia. His
lawyer (Cohen) just may sell him out.

runner Hilary was hopefully, the last candidate the Democrats pick based on who they are,never the less you show bravery trying to use her e mails at a time polls released just yesterday say 60 percent of Americans are unhappy with Trump, he has more charges against him than any other three past American leaders,[America like some other western countries , needs a statesman/woman]