THE most effective way to deal with “disgraced” former prime minister Malcom Turnbull is not to expel him, according to Liberal Vice-President Teena McQueen.
Ms McQueen was responding to recent motions drafted by several Liberal Party branches to expel the embittered former PM.
- Branches move to expel former PM after he campaigned with green independent.
- VP refuses to support moves to remove 'disgraceful' Turnbull from Party.
- Conservatives go ballistic, calling VP a 'despicable double agent'.
The motions – from Artarmon, Condamine and Roseville branches to name a few – were triggered after Mr Turnbull recently campaigned for a green independent candidate.
The Berejiklian government would have been thrown into minority in NSW had Mr Turnbull’s candidate succeeded in last month’s Upper Hunter by-election.
CONSERVATIVE
While many centre-right Party members are working to see the back of Mr Turnbull, Ms McQueen has sided with the former PM’s ultra-Left factional supporters – though, apparently, for differing reasons.
Ms McQueen, who publicly professes to be a conservative member, said the Party should simply ignore Mr Turnbull.
“He’s such a disgrace, he’s irrelevant,” she told Sky News host Chris Smith on Thursday evening.
“We have an election to win, which we’re on track to do so.
“I’m so over him, I can’t even say his name.”
Ms McQueen said expelling Mr Turnbull would give him what he wants.
“A lot of motions have been put up,” she said. “He actually wants us to expel him and I’m not going to give him that pleasure.
“We just need to disregard him, push him to one side and get on with supporting the Prime Minister in winning the election.”
Mr Turnbull has the backing of NSW’s ultra-Left faction, which is run by his personal friend Matt Kean, the NSW energy & environment minister.
With the NSW far Right and ultra-Left factions working in unison, it would require a Morrison-sized miracle for the State’s Centre Right faction to swing the numbers to have Mr Turnbull removed.
Ms McQueen’s “indirect” support for Mr Turnbull continuing in the Party has sent conservatives racing to their online accounts.
“She’s opposing expelling Turnbull – what a despicable double agent!” one wrote. “She’s shown her true colours again.”
Another wrote: “I had to replay the footage to make sure I heard her correctly. Sadly, I did hear her correctly. Thanks Teena!”PC
Teena, you are on the wrong tram, here!! Turnbull is a disgrace and he MUST…M-U-S-T be expelled!!!
That’s ok, you keep Malcom and I’ll happily continue to spend my $100 membership fee saving elsewhere until the party grows some backbone.
After the way he stabbed Abbott in the back, just to expel him is not nearly good enough!
Macbeth had a great solution when Banquo’s ghost appeared:
‘AVAUNT, AND QUIT MY (our) SIGHT! LET THE EARTH HIDE THEE!
THY BONES ARE MARROWLESS, THY BLOOD IS COLD’
……….
?
Expulsion is the only tool available to the Liberal Party in response to the pattern of conduct. Yet pulling this trigger launches the new round of media exposure he so desperately craves and we risk creating another John Hewson – the token “conservative” when the likes of ABC and Fairfax are contriving the notion of “balance”. Do we really need another John Hewson? Maybe, just maybe Teena has a point. Maybe the best thing is for the separation to come via his non-renewal. Then there is no fanfare and drama to be whipped up by those media outlets wanting to see the Liberal brand diminished.
“Then there is no fanfare and drama to be whipped up by those media outlets wanting to see the Liberal brand diminished.”
LOL – you think that “media outlets” could do any more to diminish the “Liberal” brand than the party itself has, and that it continues to do on a regular basis?
I do not deny the damage done by Turnbull. My point is that ABC/Fairfax readily sensationalise tension within the “broad church” and Turnbull would play this up for all it’s worth, leather jacket and all. Our option, as appears suggested by Teena, is to not feed this. As for diminishing the brand “on a regular basis” – I don’t follow. The Libs are in power at both state and federal level and prospects of reelection are improving.
“I do not deny the damage done by Turnbull.”
Hello Mitch, Turnbull is not and never was the problem, he is the *symptom* of the problem. How do you think he got to the top of the greasy pole? The damage is done by *all* the amoral and addle-brained socialists in the “Liberal” party, it just so happens that the effete and clueless Malcolm Turnbull is their poster boy.
‘My point is that ABC/Fairfax readily sensationalise tension within the “broad church”’
It would be hard to “sensationalise” what’s going on at the moment in the party, which is far from being a “broad church”. Members of conservative bent are hounded and harassed, and they are intimidated into silence – or, in some cases, forced to leave the party. In South Australia, the “Liberals” were intending to purge from the party all those who were Christians, which is quite ironic – a “broad church” that doesn’t want anyone who might belong to God’s church.
So if the “Liberal” party is getting bad press, it’s getting exactly what it deserves. Not long ago, most thinking people would have considered that the party was in steep decline; now it appears that the decline may well be terminal.
This, regrettably..says it all, “Mr Turnbull has the backing of NSW’s ultra-Left faction, which is run by his personal friend Matt Kean, the NSW energy & environment minister”
We can, we will, there’ll be no debate. More to the point voters can shift you Teena McQueen, they can shift Matt Kean, they can shift our apologist PM, and they can shift any political figure or party that no longer works for mainstream Australians and who no longer represents them.
Not being Labor is not enough to secure my vote, and not being Labor is a hollow claim when today’s Liberal party is heading down the same destructive path.
It’s called the House of representatives for a reason, any MP or party who represents nothing but the interests of their party elites has no place in any parliament.
Hear, hear!
I nominate you, David, as Teena’s replacement.
She’s forgotten why she was elected. Thank-you for reminding her.
McQueen might like to explain how many reasonable people have abandoned the Liberal Party given the obvious misalignment between the Party’s supposed Beliefs and the on-the-record political views expressed by green-left statists like Turnbull and Kean? Tell us, Tina. How many have left?
Nobody should hold their breath waiting for the numbers. The NSW division is now so overrun with Turnbull acolytes inaction is the best you can hope for. The Party really is over.
“THE most effective way to deal with “disgraced” former prime minister Malcom Turnbull is not to expel him, according to Liberal Vice-President Teena McQueen.”
What an idiot she is; I imagine that she would complain if someone wanted to put down a rabid dog.
Teena McQueen likes to sound conservative – but has anyone ever seen her do anything that isn’t in lockstep with Matt Kean, Andrew Bragg and that love child of the left Gareth Ward.
She openly knifed Jim Molan, but pretends to be little miss conservative, while wreaking havoc among the “deplorables” she was elected to represent.
Regrettably Teena McQueen fails to understand the purpose of expelling Mr Turnbull.
Other party members have been expelled for arguably lesser misdemeanors.
Sanctioning the support of candidates, other than Coalition candidates, sends a dreadful message to the Liberal party faithful….those of us that have worked hard to ensure the election of Coalition governments.
Of course Mr Turnbull is seeking attention…so let’s not disappoint the man that (reportedly) first courted the Labor party…let’s politely show him the door….