Somewhere in Parliament house – deep within the realms of the Liberal Party offices – there’s someone that’s either really terrified about their own job security, or they’re just a straight-up mole secretly doing the Labor Party‘s evil bidding. Because that’s the person who, when Tony Abbott approaches and runs an idea past them, looks the Prime Minister dead in the eye and says “That’s a really good idea, Boss. I think you should definitely do that thing.“
But the remarkable thing about bad decisions is that even your best mates will tell you if you’ve stuffed up when it’s a truly spectacular stuff up.
Such is the intensity of the brow furrowing following Tony Abbott’s “captain’s pick” to confer a Knight of the Order of Australia onto Prince Philip that even backbenchers in the Coalition Government ranks are starting to get a bit prickly about the things Tone is up to.
Fairfax Media is reporting that several MPs – though they declined to be named, admittedly rendering this story best served with a pinch of salt – are upset by the move, with it having the adverse effect of potentially galvanising the backbench against the Prime Minister. With one nameless MP quoted as saying,
“He’s doing whatever the hell he wants in a self-indulgent fashion and everyone is deeply embarrassed. Liberals are turning on Tony Abbott. There’s a changing climate, things are very serious, they’re progressing and progressing very fast.“
Whilst another MP not in possession of any identifying moniker remarked, “he’s going down unless he changes his leadership style.“
Fortunately not all Liberal MPs are bereft of titles. Queensland LNP senator Matt Cananvan was more than happy to attach his name to his words when stating, “I’ve seen us kick more own goals over summer than I’ve seen in the Asian Cup.“
For the record, this is the latest in the series of Abbott’s “Captain’s picks” – decisions he makes and enacts independently of all advice and consultancy with anyone lower down the ladder than he. Others include the paid parental leave scheme, the failed attempt to slash Medicare rebates by $20, and the initial restoration of Knights and Dames to the Australian awards (which, for the record, was done initially with the assertion that they’d be handed out to “notable Australians,” but that’s neither here nor there at the moment.)
Look, I get it. Sometimes at work you have to do a little somethin’ somethin’ for yourself to keep things moving along. For every hundred things you give to them, you’ve gotta take one for yourself. It helps keep the motivational gears turning. I get it. It’s fine. I know.
But when you start running off the wind of your own sail a little too much, people start noticing. And that’s when shit starts getting awkward. Keep pushing and that’s when you get the tap on the shoulder.
My point being that this might all just be another case of electronic graffiti, but if you refuse to learn from any of your own mistakes, you’re just gonna keep making them.
Photo: Cameron Spencer via Getty Images.
via SMH.
