No End to LNP Disorder

25/11/2018

For a party that slammed Labor for knifing Rudd (and then the subsequent knifing of Gillard) and promoted their own ‘stability’, it’s actually difficult to see how the LNP managed to create that image. While the Labor Party have had 3 leaders with two spills (Rudd-Gillard-Rudd-Shorten) since 2007, the LNP have gone through 5 leaders and four spills in the same time period (Howard-Nelson-Turnbull-Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison). While it is unlikely they would risk yet another spill, tensions are high in the Liberal Party.

Having just suffered huge losses in the Victoria state election, the Federal and other State governments seem more focussed on fighting among themselves rather than finding a solution to their predicament. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has rather bluntly stated she wants no input from the Federal government when NSW votes in March. It’s true though, they have screwed themselves over enough; anything more would be suicidal. And on the Federal level, the battle that led to Morrison’s victory is still being waged. Dutton’s challenge to Turnbull was backed by a split in the Liberal Party, and Turnbull’s more ‘centrist’ side won with Morrison at the helm. Dutton, and especially Tony Abbott, have continued to stir trouble, flaring the divide even more.

Far from stable, it would not surprise me if there is a wave of votes that go against the Coalition. Some of these will drop into more conservative, mindless groups like One Nation, but the majority have been flocking to Labor or popular Independents. As I mentioned in a previous piece, Wentworth and the Victorian State election are but the first step towards real change, and we cannot be complacent with what we have gained. Love them or hate them, Labor and the Greens (the Greens more so) have been able to show stability in their leaderships. While the Greens seem to be too purist to recognise potential alliances with the Labor Party (which I can’t blame them for, but idealism needs to come with realistic expectations), they have more leverage against the LNP than they’ve ever had before.

In five years, the Coalition have wrecked the NBN, made hideous cuts to education, healthcare and other services, and much more. Their intentional incompetence is more dangerous than ideology; ideology may amass a certain type of voter, but there’s no room for values when your bottom line is profit. The slow collapse of the Coalition is a welcome one, and I doubt they will do well in the next election. For the future of our country, let’s hope they implode from the inside.