A slippery option

[erudito]

When the LNP (Liberal National Party, Queensland) looked like it might dump Peter Slipper as an MP, the Gillard Government decided there was an opportunity to improve its precarious House of Representatives numbers and make the disgruntled MP Speaker.

How is that working out for them? Not so good, with sexual allegations on top of a previous

Comments

[catsidhe]

Heaven forfend the Liberal party should have any responsibility for all those years he was in the fold.

Realpolitics

[erudito]

Labor have taken on the Liberal's mistake because they thought it was really clever thing to do. So, the political reality is they now "own" him. "He used to be one of yours" really doesn't cut it. Particularly when the easy response is "and about Craig Thomson ...".

Re: Realpolitics

[catsidhe]

The Liberals looked after him well enough for long enough, and it's now coming out "Oh, but Howard had problems with him in the past and..."

The Liberals can cry from the rooftops that Labor are bad people for having anything to do with him, but they do not get to claim the slightest moral superiority on that basis.

Re: Realpolitics

[erudito]

the slightest moral superiority on that basis. So not my point.

It is actually quite hard for a sitting Liberal or National Party Member to lose endorsement (and a big mistake, given internal Party dynamics, which are very different from how the ALP works, for any Federal Leader, even a sitting PM, to get involved). So, if it is under threat, that is a generally a bad sign.

He was the Coalition's problem. He is now the ALP's problem, because of the ALP's actions.

[quatrefoil]

I agree, he's Labor's problem now. I thought they were being too clever by half taking him on as speaker, particularly given the way they treated the previous incumbent. And their treatment of Wilkie was, as well as being dishonest, really stupid, given the precariousness of their position. Honestly, I'm really fed up with the game playing of this government, despite the fact that they have been doing some really very useful stuff that they should be marketing far more agressively. I'm starting to feel that the only reason to vote for them (i.e. give them my preferences) is to keep Tony Abbott out (and I do feel very strongly about that). If Turnbull were leading the Libs it would be a much harder decision.