It had to happen. A new Prime Minister for Australia. He is Malcolm Turnbull. A rich man who doesn’t need the job but whose whole adult life has been driven to become a PM of Australia. An ex-banker and top notch legal eagle married to woman whose family is famous and highly regarded. If Australia had royalty, the late Robert Hughes of the Fatal Shores and world’s best known art critic and his QC brother Tom Hughes would both be Emperors. Our new PM’s wife is Lucy Turnbull daughter of Tom Hughes. She was Sydney’s Lord Mayor during 2003/2004. It is of course one of the oddities of our language and culture that a Lord can be a woman. It is no wonder things about the English lend themselves to great TV comedy. Of course a female Lord is balanced by a male worker in a hospital called a sister or even, if of a higher order, Matron!
No matter what, last night’s drama was played out on TV. Millions settled on their couches after about 4pm and followed the show. The world of Twitter and face-book went in overdrive. A secret ballot ( the second within six months) was taken after all the Liberal MP’s, ministers, backbencher et all filed into Parliament House. It was great drama. The triumphant Malcolm duly appeared as the victor on TV and gave it his best not to look too smug, giving due praise to the vanquished Tony Abbott whose whole life had also been geared to become a PM. He did, but was unable to see out his first term as PM. Not a good rapport card!
It seems he was unable to shake off his perceived brilliance as opposition leader and for two years as PM remained as if in opposition while being PM, continuously attacking his opposition and failing badly to come up with anything in the area of making policies. He was famous for three word slogans; The perennial ‘stopping the boats’, ‘stopping carbon tax’, ‘leaders not leaners’ and of course, ‘ jobs and growth.’ Of course, the Westminster system thrives on adversity and invites attacking in ‘holding to account’ much more than seeking consensus. He had great trouble resisting doing things on his own bat. The bizarre Knighthood to Prince Phillip was a huge blunder.
No matter what, as a human being he must be hurting badly. His ambition to be seen as a good PM now denied. He too worked towards that his whole life. He failed in becoming a Jesuit priest but overcame by entering politics. Of course, he did manage to get to the top job but his defeat last night an unimaginable and undignified knock-out blow. He would know as an ex boxer. In leading one has to take the people with you. That was something he failed in. He kept making ‘captain’s calls’ and when there was a spill and secret ballot six months ago promised to be inclusive. He said and I quote “today is the first day of a new and more inclusive Government”. As the weeks went on, things went bad. Costly helicopter flights to private functions. All and sundry dipping into allowances, hiring limousines and whooping it up in overseas first class travel with spouses in tow.
It is strange, but the present state of our Strata- adventure seemed a bit like last night’s political drama. The people were not taken in consideration. A decision to spend $40.000,- was a captain’s call by a single person if ever there was. Of course the spending of owner’s money without them knowing anything about that was ludicrous. How did anyone think they could get away with it? I had a call yesterday and spoke with the NSW’s Fair Trade and was reassured that an new meeting has to be held and that all owners have to be informed of a decision to consider painting. After that, if the majority approve, the sinking fund has to have the funds to pay for it, either by waiting or raising a special levy. Oddly enough, The dept. of Fair Trading named as Strata Manager someone I never heard off. Is there now a new manager? What happened to the old one?
We shall see.
Tags: Ballot, Fatal Shores, Jesuit, Lucy Turnbull, Malcolm Turnbull, PM, Robert Hughes, Strata, Tom Hughes, Tony Abbott, Westminster
September 14, 2015 at 9:53 pm |
Our government has been spending OUR money without asking for years. We just didn’t read the small print. Well, congratulations I guess. We have so many bumbling around trying to get into the spotlight to be the Highest Mucky Muck it seems they will never be able to sort it out. So far we have a liar we can’t trust and a loud-mouth bigot leading the pack. “Somewhere my love, there will be songs to sing—-“
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September 14, 2015 at 11:02 pm |
Yes, politics is to be avoided. Belgium was without a government for a long time and yet, it went fine. Nothing exploded and potatoes and carrots with mussels were consumed as ever. It worked fine.
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September 14, 2015 at 10:16 pm |
It was nice to hear about another country’s election for a change. I’m all Trumped out here in the US. 🙂
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September 14, 2015 at 11:03 pm |
Yes, Trump is like something out of Edger Allan Poe or should that be Tony Abbott?
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September 14, 2015 at 10:59 pm |
The atmosphere here in Bowral is sombre. A pervasive gloom has settled over the tulips. A man was overheard mumbling a nostalgic ‘stop the boats’ all to himself.
The houses have closed all curtains and people stay indoors.
It was a hard thing to swallow and a bitter blow.
Still, as a very conservative community, steeped in turgidity and staidness even at the best of times, it will all be overcome!
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September 14, 2015 at 11:04 pm |
Gerard, you forgot to tell your followers that Abbott is the rudest, nastiest, most crass, least intelligent person ever to have been called (ugh !) PM of Australia.
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September 14, 2015 at 11:20 pm |
Yes, but I leave that to others. Spreading goodness and seeking consensus was not in Tony stop the boats.
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September 14, 2015 at 11:22 pm
What d’you think WAS ?
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September 15, 2015 at 1:07 am
Perhaps for some, a kind of perverse joy, in obsessively seeing his three word’s slogans over and over again.
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September 15, 2015 at 7:12 am |
We are hopeful about Malcolm Turnbull’s new style of leadership!
Here are a few quotes from yesterday, which sounded to me that his style of leadership could perhaps be some improvement to what we have been used to.
Turnbull said that Abbott “has not been capable of providing the economic leadership our nation needs. He has not been capable of providing the economic confidence business needs”.
In a swingeing attack on Abbott’s style, Turnbull said: “We need advocacy not slogans. We need to respect the intelligence of the Australian people.
“We also need a new style of leadership in the way we deal with others – whether it is our fellow members of parliament, whether it is the Australian people.
“We need to restore traditional cabinet government. There must be an end to policy on the run and captain’s calls.
“We need an open government that recognises that there is an enormous sum of wisdom within our colleagues in this building and, of course, further afield.”
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September 15, 2015 at 8:26 am |
Yes Uta, they were the best words spoken for long time.
He has a hard job to convince his cabinet who are mainly Abbott’s chosen men. Malcolm Turnbull believes in Climate Change, equal marriage rights in SSM and a Republic. His cabinet doesn’t
He also is a firm pro-women believer and carries all those with great conviction. He would with a wife being a very pro-active member of society. But…while he has temporarily the voters on his side, not so his cabinet. Forty four of those did not vote for him.
He wants to change and lead but how to carry his cabinet when many are hostile to him having kicked out T. Abbott? Remember how Rudd-Julia Gillard and Rudd again became a stone around the ALP?
Don’t also forget we have the Westminster system that believes in the adversarial way of Governing, not likely to work together to achieve and pass legislation. I am especially thinking of the Nationals. I do hope Malcolm will have enough time to convince his cabinet to move forward.
Today he promised to carry on everything the same way that Abbott wanted, a plebiscite on equal marriage doesn’t look good. Yet, if he changed into simply passing legislation he would not get the numbers in cabinet. Australia is not Ireland nor Argentina.
He has a hard job ahead.
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September 15, 2015 at 8:52 am |
It is a change for the better. Time will tell exactly how much “better”.
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September 15, 2015 at 10:45 am |
We will get a better picture after the week-end when he choses his cabinet.
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September 15, 2015 at 1:46 pm |
I know that you all were waiting for this. I haven’t met an Australian (online) who wasn’t complaining about the old Prime Minister. So I hope you all will get the change you are waiting for. I wish we would have one on the horizon that would be worth voting for. For the life of me I don’t see it and my eyes are wide open.
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September 15, 2015 at 10:06 pm |
We shall see. Australia has lost its compassion.
Our new PM could have emptied the off shore detention camps for refugees, permanently locked up. Yet they did not do wrong. Children are self-harming and some have been sexually abused. Yet, Australia stands by.
In the meantime the dingoes are howling unmercifully.
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September 15, 2015 at 3:03 pm |
You adopt a charitable approach to the man’s political demise Gerard. Bravo. And it seems you are winning the paint fight. Don’t sit on the fence. Keep going and demand a proper decision process.
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September 15, 2015 at 10:08 pm |
Yes, Andrew.
I have in black and white that an EGM has to be called and that three quotes have to be asked for. All owners to be informed. Any shortfall has to be raised by a levy.
Helvi is so [proud of me, and I am strutting the streets, walking tall.
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September 16, 2015 at 12:18 am |
We’re extremely pleased here in New Zealand, as our politicians are always under a lot of pressure to align themselves with Australian policies.
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