PLEA Network

21 August 2018, Renew Economy, Turnbull survives as puppet of right wing, as Australia burns. At least in 2009 ,Turnbull left his job as then Opposition leader with his dignity intact. On Tuesday, Turnbull survived a spill against Peter Dutton by the less than convincing  vote of 48-35. He gets to continue as prime minister, at least for a time, at the cost of his credibility and his dignity and at the behest of the party’s right wing. The man who on Monday shredded Australia’s latest attempts to patch together a climate and energy policy admits he is now beholden to every whim and fancy of the right wing, and has abandoned any pretence to lead. As former PM Tony Abbott observed with more than just a hint of malevolence: “What we want to know is, where are this prime minister’s convictions? We always thought that he was convicted on climate change issues.“I think he probably still is. And it was a conversion of convenience this morning.” For once Abbott says something we can agree with. Turnbull commands no respect in his party room, or much beyond it. His business backers are in despair. It’s worth reminding us what Turnbull said nearly a decade ago after being turfed out his role as head of the Liberal Party. “Now politics is about conviction and a commitment to carry out those convictions. The Liberal Party is currently led by people whose conviction on climate change is that it is “crap” and you don’t need to do anything about it. “Any policy that is announced will simply be a con, an environmental fig leaf to cover a determination to do nothing.” And we thought he was talking about Abbott! Read more here