by SEAN BURKE – PETER Dutton is up there with Australia’s best Liberal leaders.
If he rolls Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in 2025 he will surpass Tony Abbott as the nation’s best performing Opposition Leader.
- Dutton did more than most to (unintentionally?) sabotage the Voice campaign.
- He went in to bat for Labor’s online “reforms” aimed at banning children from social media.
- Is he playing on both sides? The answer is “Yes”.
Defeating a government in its first term is rare.
Yet, unlike Abbott, Dutton has not yet proven himself to be a safe set of hands.
CONTROL
When Tony Abbott took control of the Liberal Party in 2009, Party members, the media and voters were left waiting.
Waiting to see if he would put his foot in it. How many days could he string together without imploding?
Abbott turned out to be spectacularly disciplined and led the Liberals to a landslide victory in 2013.
Peter Dutton is not disciplined and, when the stakes are high, he fluffs it more often than not.
If Albanese wasn’t such a dud, Dutton could be in serious strife.
Dutton’s first major political contest was Labor’s race-based Voice referendum.
Anthony Albanese announced in 2022 his great desire for identity politics. As a political animal, Dutton should have been ready for this fight.
He wasn’t. Instead, this battle was fought by a shiny new Senator and a former ALP federal president. Jacinta Price and Warren Mundine respectively.
While they ultimately achieved victory, they owe little to Dutton who (hopefully unintentionally) did more than most to sabotage their efforts.
In the midst of a hard-fought No campaign, the Liberal Leader announced if the Voice referendum went down, he would hold another referendum on the same issue.
What! What was he thinking?
Then, just this month, Dutton went in to bat for Labor’s online “reforms” aimed at banning children under 16 years from social media.
BACK DOOR
This, of course, is a back door to identify and track all social media users. Did someone not remind Dutton that anyone and everyone will be required to provide ID to prove their age?
Is he playing on both sides?
The answer is “Yes”.
The Liberal Party is now controlled by Leftists – many of who foxed their way in when Malcolm Turnbull super-stacked the Party in 2004 to win preselection in Wentworth.
Dutton, as was Abbott, is concerned by the large number of Turnbull-lite radicals who populate his Party room.
His days as Liberal leader – and possibly as prime minister – will rely on their support. Seeing what they did to Abbott is front of mind for him.
You can be sure that when Dutton unexpectedly swings to the Left, it’s because of implied threats from the Party’s secretive Christopher Pyne-Simon Birmingham-Malcolm Turnbull “Black Hand” faction.
Perhaps Duttons biggest challenge is how to win the 2025 federal election while being rid of the extremist influences of Liberal MPs such as Bridget Archer, Katie Allen and Andrew Bragg.PC
Have a look at Canada’s opposition leader.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEfOdi0pYm0
Now that is a leader!
There is Peter Dutton, and there is the socialist infiltration of the Liberal Party. Poor guy!
It all goes back to John Howard and his broad tent. He lifted the flap and let all these denizens in. Howard had leftist tendencies – just look at his introduction of the GST.
Anyway, have you heard of Antonio Gramsci? Gramsci wrote his book “Note from Prison” in the 1930’s. To summarise, he said that revolution was impossible in modern society, BUT you can achieve the same ends by infiltrting and taking over the major institions of society , such as political parties, the public service, the media, major companies…
What you do is the first ones to enter stay very quiet about their political views. Then as the get promoted, they hire and support sociists, and not hire non-socialists. Inside a generation, the left totally control that institution.
Nowadays the left control the Liberal Party. They have seized control of the State Executives, and won’t let anyone else in.
Will increased democracy change this? Not really. They can obstruct any result they don’t like.
There is a cure, found by accident in Hollywood in the early 1950’s. NAME all these people. Give reasons why they are actual members of the Labor or Communist Parties. Shine a light on them. Defamation? Legal action? If there is too much opposition, after a lot of screaming, all those judges and lawyers will scuttle for their holes. Don’t get involved in politics!
This is the only cure. And I might add, all these tiny right wing parties must band together and get really nasty.
Agree, conservative are very disorganised and carefully avoid it, chest thumping to each other.In NSW the moderates are formally organised and hijacked by the monied renewables lobby, right down to state upper and lower houses. The ‘intervention” has done very little of electoral benefit for Dutton.
I am delighted to read that someone shares my view of Howard. I always remind people that he was Malcolm Fraser’s cup bearer. His broad church was and remains a total nonsense. O that he would remember that he lost his seat a long time! Time to shut up and smell the roses.
Peter Dutton has shown us that he can be quite bold in catching the ball and running with it, as he did with his stance on nuclear power, but… just when you think that he is steadfastly heading towards the goal posts, he seems to stumble at the next opportunity, or, as Homer Simpson eloquently puts it, D’oh! This has happened too often to be considered a mere error of judgment. I agree that he is probably wary of the Turnbull faction but a strong leader would fend them off and keep aiming for the end goal. Surely we need a leader who has the determination to do the things that are right for Australia instead of pandering to those who are there for their own benefit.
Yes Christine I think Peter Duttons Achilles Heel is his integrity! he’s actually a very decent human being. He wears his heart on his sleeve, allowing his emotion to occasionally override his critical thinking. Whereas ‘Tennis Albo’ will do and say anything to ensure he gets voted back in! And to hell with being known as a liar and or whats best for our country and struggling tax payers.
I believe Peter Dutton given the chance will be an exceptional leader and yes there’s still a few weak links but there are also some really brilliant hard working front benchers there that have his back too!!
He does have some dud advisers, and he’s a massive improvement on the ghost and others, so let’s run with what we’ve got. Basically, he is a decent bloke, as evidenced by his behaviour when a serving Queensland police detective. He’d always go the extra mile to get justice for victims of crime and to look after victims, without trying to big note himself or gain advantage in any way.
“[Dutton] does have some dud advisers […]”
Hey Nick, do you know what I’d do if I had dud advisers? I’d sack them, and then I’d hire some good ones.
Is Dutton really so thick that he can’t work that out?
The Lites are slowly resigning,2 more this last month,their is hope for Dutton provided they are replaced but true conservatives,not Turnbull labor/Lites,he may get us genuine conservative voters back after 9 hopeless years.
He’s just being a typical politician! We want best performance – it is the best chance to topple this Commo-Socialist mob. Particularly get rid of Palestine Penny and say-nothing Albanese along with his pathetic troops of Snake Chalmers, Marles ,Bowen and Burke who just talk and are holding back anything promising until an election is announced. . promises promises. Some days I wonder if I live in Colombia or Mexico??? This is scary Palestinian visas approved: Australia 2,922; Canada 295; U.K. 168; N.Z. 153; U.S. 17. Something wrong here? Ozzies are warming to Dutton and he must make the most of it. I find your criticism a bit mealy mouthed. Did you know there is no such thing as ‘Welcome’, stolen generation etc etc. The aboriginal activists based all claims from a book called Rabbit Proof Fence which is fictional!!! I recommend this link of possible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGJADsS1f2U clip debunking ‘welcome’ and nearly all other stuff that has been claimed. “It is a myth’ Recommended.
What a STUPID article! Peter Dutton is doing a superb job and is by far our best hope of getting rid of the worst government we’ve had since Federation – far worse than Whitlam’s. If all you can do is criticise him – keep your trap shut – all you’re doing is giving ammunition to the lefties, you Burke!
“Peter Dutton is doing a superb job […]”
LOL; I’d love to know how you come to that conclusion. I imagine that you are looking forward with great anticipation to Peter giving us a second referendum on the voice, as he said he would do if the first one didn’t get up. After all, he can afford to flush another 450 million dollars down the toilet on our behalf, can’t he – it’s not like we need to pay down our national debt, is it?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiLAx7kp4Rc Dutton needs to get in front of this before Labor/Greens do and get his Party to strength with how to vote Properly!
I think his stance on the flag issue is quite reasonable – there is no need to “cancel” those two flags but he won’t use them for any official events he’s speaking at. What’s wrong with that? And re The Voice, he did eventually come out in opposition, better late than never. The Nats were quicker off the mark to oppose it and yes the heavy lifting was done by Jacinta Price and Warren Mundine.
Dutton may not be perfect (by a long shot) but he’s miles ahead of Airbus Upgrade Each- Way Albo, “Cassanova” Blackout Bowen and the rest of Labor’s motley crew.
“[…] there is no need to “cancel” those two flags […]”
Except they are not flags are they? They are a culturally-appropriated form of identification, and they have been *MADE UP* by left-wing rent-seekers who want to suck on the government teat whilst excoriating the very taxpayers who fund their laziness and underwrite their fantasies.
You clearly do not perceive exactly what is at stake here, and you have no clue about the importance of the spirit and motivations behind what people say and do – that is to say, you are a classic rusted-on “Liberal” voter. Go ahead and cast your ballot as you see fit; you might not understand how things will turn out, but those of us with an ounce of understanding certainly do.
The indigenous flag is a direct steal of the German flag.
There is something very wrong about you. Such BS. You are clueless.
No Flavio, Sean is quite correct.
Did you not hear Dutton boldly proclaim that, should he become prime minister, he would not give press conferences standing in front of the so-called “aboriginal flag”, only to then qualify this by saying that he would still “respect” said flag?
We need a prime minister who will DEGAZZETE both the so-called “aboriginal flag” and the so-called “torres strait islander flag”, and clearly Dutton is not that man – he is a mealy-mouthed and spineless waste of space, and he is thoroughly unfit for public office of any type whatsoever. Why is that so hard for people to understand?
Dutton is trying to negate being portrayed as Mr No
An Australian PM needs to carry the country. Imo he is wisely respectful, this is about winning 40%+, not sucking up to ideologues left and or right.