Friday, June 26, 2015

Malcolm Turnbull - darling of the ABC





When Malcolm Turnbull was asked if he supported Tony Abbott's claim that the ABC had "betrayed" Australia and "heads should roll" after Monday night's Q&A programme, he refused to agree with his comments.

As the Minister for Communications, he is the man who has the power to chastise the ABC for giving oxygen to a known jihadist who said the Liberal government was to blame for young people wanting to go to Syria to fight with IS.  Then in defiance, they deliberately reran the episode.

Malcolm Turnbull is known as 'the darling of the ABC' and has been a welcome guest on Q&A many times.  For some reason, they like him, he likes them, and it shows.

Oh, he's making the right noises, he's launched an enquiry and said the ABC made a grave error of judgement, but he thinks the PM's comments that "heads should roll" at the ABC is totally out of order, so we are left to draw our own conclusions.

You have to go back in time to understand Malcolm Turnbull.  He has an impeccable pedigree but not a lot of common sense. Rhodes Scholar, lawyer, merchant banker, writer, he is one of Australia's richest men.

But disaster struck in December 2009 when he was leader of the Liberal Party who were then in Opposition.   Tony Abbott beat him in a leadership spill by one vote and he never got over it.

He made a speech about how Tony Abbott's (ETS) Emissions Trading Scheme was a farce and the Rudd government's plan was just what the country needed.  The irony seemed to be lost on Malcolm as he stood up in Parliament, committing political suicide. 

The Coalition made sure the chamber was almost empty when he rose to his feet. His speech was covered by CCTV throughout the halls of Parliament House, but no one was watching.  And when he crossed the floor to vote with the Labor's ETS Bill, it was the last straw.

To show such disloyalty to his own Liberal Party was considered unforgivable and a man once respected by many was regarded with contempt.  

One year ago, Malcolm told ABC's 7.30 programme "I don't have any plans, any desires, any expectations to be the leader.....but having said that.......politics is an unpredictable business."

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