FORMER ALP king-maker Graham Richardson has predicted Prime Minister Scott Morrison will easily win a fourth term for the Liberal National government.
Mr Richardson, who served as Environment Minister in the Hawke government, said the Prime Minister would “romp in” at the next federal election.
In an opinion piece published in The Australian newspaper on Friday, November 27, he said Labor had no strategy to topple Mr Morrison.
BLOKE
“If an election were to be held any time soon, he would romp in. He is just so hard to attack,” Mr Richardson wrote.
“He is obviously a nice bloke. He lives in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire and supports his local rugby league team, the Sharks.
“He goes to their games and wears the corny Sharks cap but somehow it doesn’t look corny.
“Somehow it just seems right. He sits among the crowd and looks right at home.”
Mr Richardson’s comments come at a time when ALP leader Anthony Albanese is struggling to unite a Party that has wandered to the extreme political Left and no longer knows whether it’s Arthur or Martha – literally.
“As long as the economy stays buoyant, it is hard to see how Labor can win an election,” Mr Richardson said
“The problem for Labor is that it can’t be seen to be predicting doom and disaster when there are no signs that the world economy is about to collapse. Indeed, in the short to medium term the future looks pretty good.
“Perhaps manufacturing could be on a bigger upswing but given that things look reasonably good anyway, it would be churlish to criticise the Prime Minister on that front.
“There is no way that an opposition can make mountains out of molehills when voters feel relaxed and comfortable about those who are in power.”
BETTER
Mr Richardson’s sentiments are played out in the latest opinion polls which indicate a commanding lead to Mr Morrison as preferred prime minister.
A Newspoll conducted this month, and published in The Australian newspaper, indicates 58 per cent of voters rank Mr Morrison as better prime minister. Mr Albanese is preferred by 29 per cent of voters, a drop of 14 points since the beginning of the year.
Mr Morrison is the third Liberal leader to serve as prime minister since the coalition won government in a thumping landslide in 2013 under Tony Abbott. Mr Abbott defeated the Rudd government by 35 seats (90-55) in 2013. In 2016 a disastrous Malcolm Turnbull lost Mr Abbott’s majority and scraped into government by a single seat.
After Mr Turnbull was removed as prime minister in 2018, Mr Morrison assumed leadership of what had become a minority government and – against the odds – won the “unwinnable” 2019 election.
A strong Christian, Mr Morrison described the victory as a “miracle”.
His two seat majority is anticipated to improve at the next election as long as his government doesn’t follow Labor to the Left.PC
Conservative-minded voters who managed to haul him over the line in 2019 will surely have noticed that Morrison spends his days working to appease everyone but them. Good luck winning QLD LNP seats north of Brisbane, ScoMo.
Scomo is playing the long game: win the next election with an increased majority and then make his move on climate change, their ABC etc.
Happiness is a lame duck Labor Party!