Jensen, furious at not being made Science Minister, called for a leadership spill. Brough, a former minister on the backbench, gave Abbott only “qualified” support and attacked his health policies.
Macdonald, dumped from the frontbench, gave Abbott only a few weeks to prove himself.
Laming threatened a private member’s bill to scrap Abbott’s knighthoods and Entsch kept trash talking.
This is unforgivable.
It is reasonable for MPs to be privately critical of Abbott’s past performance. It is also understandable that many doubt Abbott can change his ways or turn around his terrible poll figures.
But what we’ve seen this week is something different. It’s a handful of MPs seeming to do their best to sabotage any comeback under Abbott.
They are actually like a platoon of Kevin Rudds, more committed to their own interests than to their party’s or the country’s.
With an election more than 18 months away, there was no reason these plotters couldn’t give Abbott a few weeks of peace to show he’s learned and will do better. But they didn’t give him even a day.
Nothing explains that rush to bury Abbott but a desire that he fail.
For instance, Jensen told me on 2GB on Tuesday he didn’t have anyone in mind to replace Abbott. It’s “not the who: it’s the what,” he repeatedly insisted.
How can these plotters not have considered that critical next step? They are like people who shoot a pilot for flying into heavy weather and then ask the passengers: “Anyone here know how to fly a plane?”
It gets worse. Pushed, Jensen didn’t rule out backing, say, Turnbull.
But wait. Five years ago Jensen, a global warming sceptic, was one of the plotters who dumped Turnbull as leader for backing a kind of carbon tax. Is he really now helping to bring back Turnbull, who has never repented his warmist views?
Turnbull failed as opposition leader by splitting the party with his Labor-lite social views, warming alarmism, verbosity and tin ear for politics.
Bishop failed as shadow treasurer and has sheltered since in foreign affairs, an easy gig involving making fine statements about tyrants overseas without having to get down and dirty at home.
Scott Morrison is the better bet, but has been in parliament for barely eight years.
And each would face exactly the same nightmare Abbott has struggled against: Labor’s massive deficit, a feral Senate that refuses to admit spending is out of control and a largely hostile media, led by the militantly pro-Left ABC.
But there will be one extra problem: they will also inherit a party they’ve helped to divide — one laced with the poison the plotters are now recklessly injecting.
Thank you Andrew Bolt, beautifully written.
