So: eight modern Liberal PMs, one prematurely deceased, three (possibly) in the roll of faithful old boys and four definite apostates having left the building. Not much of a record of loyalty over the last 70 years.
Well, that was A Bigger Picture: bigger than Quo Vadis magnified in Cinemascope and I Max,
The Turnbull tome, a door stopper if there were any unlocked doors to be stopped, has klunked its way through every media outlet in the country with revelations of treachery, betrayal and all round skullduggery to a chorus of shock and horror, delighted or appalled according to which side you are on.
And it has even been promoted as a party stopper, in that some zealots in the Liberal Party want their former prime minister expelled for disloyalty, while calmer critics contend that he might as well pull the pin himself since he obviously has little in common with his more conservative colleagues.
There is a certain amount of sense in this, but it should hardly come as a surprise – such a fall out would not be unprecedented. In fact, there are more former Liberal Prime Ministers who have walked away from the organization than have stuck with it.
Even the founding father, the sainted doyen, Robert Menzies, was reported to have been mightily disillusioned with his successors and to have voted at least once with the right wing Labor splinter group, the DLP, rather than endorse the anointed Liberal leader.
Harold Holt, who anticipated being rolled in the party room by going under the waves, did not have to make the choice, but if John Gorton had knifed him then (which was the developing scenario) he may well have followed his patron and mentor in a similar course.
When Gorton was dumped in favor of Billy McMahon, he did not hesitate to reject the latter in spectacular style. McMahon, having been dumped by the electorate, remained solid – well, as solid as he ever was. And Malcolm Fraser, having finally manoevred himself to the top of the greasy pole, jumped energetically off John Howard’s bandwagon relatively early after the latter’s ascension.
Howard, as far as we know, keeps his name in the media through being a loyal party elder, although he was said to have had serious reservations after Tony Abbott appeared in the Lodge’. Abbott has concentrated on defending his dubious legacy while white-anting Malcolm Turnbull, who has now been pronounced as anathema.
So: eight modern Liberal PMs, one prematurely deceased, three (possibly) in the roll of faithful old boys and four definite apostates having left the building. Not much of a record of loyalty over the last 70 years. It says more about the party of steady and stable conservative government than all the 699 pages of diatribe Turnbull has unleashed on the world.
And while the critics piously deplore Turnbull breaking confidences to secure his version of history, there is a sweet serendipity in their delight at their total lack of ethics in breaking the publisher’s embargo, through the Prime Minister’s own office, no less. One Nico Louk has boasted, gloated, in his role of unprincipled piracy, although he has since apologized and reached a financial settlement.
But it appears his career will not suffer; the political apparatchiks who infest ministers offices never are. Their unaccountability is precisely what makes them valuable to their unscrupulous masters. Power without responsibility – the harlot’s prerogative. And perhaps that is the real lesson of A Bigger Picture.
Mungo MacCallum is a veteran political journalist and commentator. His books include Run Johnny Run, Poll Dancing, and Punch and Judy.
mungomccallum@staging-johnmenadue.kinsta.cloud
Comments
8 responses to “MUNGO MACCALLUM Turnbull’s Quo Vadis”
Even so, the apparatchik of Morrison who passed around the text – allegedly yet admitted – was hardly clever. I personally think Turnbull’s text was hardly new, save for his naivety, even though there was some decency in his time in office that we will never see in the current government. To me then, the apparatchik might have looked at the text before letting literate journalists have an early look. But was there any capacity in Morrison’s department for that?
From the reports I have read of Malcolm Turnbull’s book, it is a great expose of the “Liberal” Party which has never been liberal in its philosophy. It is in fact a hard right party.
Turnbull tried to give pose as a liberal in his thinking – especially regarding the environment and an Australian republic, however did not live up to his convictions. His one saving grace was the introduction of gay marriage which was something that the “left”Julia Gillard could have done if she was true to her convictions.
Sending the book via email is deemed to be publishing it in a different form under the Copyright Act. Prosecution could be pursued, if there was the will. Being dismissed from his job should be the least that happens.
And it should be noted that John Gorton stood as an independent candidate for an ACT Senate seat in 1975:
“At this double dissolution election after Governor-General Sir John Kerr dismissed the Whitlam government, John Gorton was again standing for the Senate, but for one of the two new Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Senate seats. ”
http://primeministers.naa.gov.au/primeministers/gorton/elections.aspx
Having stated “We are as humans conducting a massive science experiment with this planet. It’s the only planet we’ve got….” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/planet-oz/2015/sep/18/is-new-australian-prime-minister-malcolm-turnbull-already-a-climate-change-turncoat
Turnbull did not have the courage live up to his convictions and stand up to the deniers.
Had he done so, even if he lost his PM position he would have become a hero!
One might hope that unprincipled behaviour sometime bring down its most frequent users as those around them realise that their colleagues are not just untrustworthy but laible to throw them under the proverbial bus without hesitation.
One might just so pathetically hope, Allen.
One might indeed so passively revel in one’s ignorance.
Sorry – my carelessness led to “Allen’, not “Allan”.