TONY Abbott is one of the most impactful Australians of the 21st Century – and he’s not finished yet.
There’s no person the Left fears more. He’s the reason why the combined resources of GetUp, the Victorian unions and Labor’s most seasoned campaigners were funnelled – at huge expense – into the Sydney seat of Warringah during last year’s Federal Election.
The then Labor leader Bill Shorten wanted Abbott finished off.
CRUISE
Shorten was beyond confident Labor would cruise to victory in 2019 and that he’d be crowned Prime Minister of Australia. But he held a niggling fear.
What if a defeated Scott Morrison resigned? And what if Abbott was again recruited as Liberal opposition leader?
The prospect gave Shorten night-sweats.
He had seen first hand Abbott’s dismantling of Labor prime ministers Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. He wanted none of it.
BRUTAL
So Shorten did everything he could to remove Abbott by diverting massive campaign resources from across the nation and into Warringah.
Knowing Labor itself could never win Abbott’s blue ribbon seat, Shorten recruited a pretty-faced, Left-leaning “independent” to front his campaign.
What followed was one of the the most brutal election campaigns in the nation’s history.
Shopfronts displaying Abbott posters were smashed in, a Liberal campaign staffer was stabbed, multiple arrests were made, packages of faeces were delivered to Abbott’s offices and vandalism was rife on an electorate-wide scale.
The filth of Australia, it seemed, had descended on Sydney’s northern beaches.
While Abbott ultimately lost Warringah, Shorten had unwittingly sacrificed his own chance of ever becoming prime minister.
His deep personal fear of Abbott had inadvertently returned Labor to opposition for a third straight term. The handful of marginal seats it needed for victory had been seriously underfunded due to Shorten’s obsession with Warringah.
Labor, it turned out, took only one marginal (Gilmore) and the Liberals won the election with an increased majority.
The loss of the former prime minister, however, was an unbearable blow to the Liberal Party’s rank and file.
LOSS
The happiest person in the room on election night was former first lady Margie Abbott. Either she was putting on a brave face or she was genuinely thrilled. If not for her husband, then for her family.
The Abbott family had been put through the wringer since Abbott’s rise. The enmity that had been delivered to their doorstep was unprecedented and relentless.
An activist media, a vindictive Labor Party, street thugs and Left-leaning Liberals had all taken aim.
The press mocked him for the pettiest of reasons. His daughters were targeted, his sister was physically set-upon by thugs and his community service was trivialised to the point of nastiness.
They lied about him, he was physically attacked and head-butted in the street and he was betrayed by the very people who were supposed to have his back.
Yet, he continued on. He wasn’t a quitter.
Being knocked out was perhaps the only way out for Tony. And Margie knew it.
WHAT’S NEXT
Since his election loss Abbott has been unusually low key. He’s made a few speeches, attended a few events and quietly pursued his tireless community work.
What’s telling, though, is that he’s not taken up an ambassadorship. Nor has he sought a high profile corporate board position nor a senior role in the private sector. There’d be no shortage of offers.
So what’s on his mind? Is a comeback on the cards?
For the rank and file, 2022 may see Abbott’s long-hoped return.
If he has a plan, he hasn’t shared it publicly. But we can accurately assume a number of key points.
WARRINGAH
Abbott’s days as member for Warringah are behind him. There’s no prospect of him re-contesting a seat whose demographic has changed so dramatically.
The northern beaches was once a haven for well-to-do tradies. Not any more.
It’s now becoming a precinct of champagne socialists. The type who chase group affirmation by jumping on the latest “cause” – before mindlessly shifting to the next.
Abbott is far too principled to appeal to such people.
He will need to look further afield. Perhaps to a Labor-held marginal. Footage of him being swamped by “new and recent” Australians provides good intel regarding the locations he may consider for 2022.
Western Sydney would be most likely.
FUNDING
Abbott is one of the best fundraisers in politics. Funding his marginal seat campaign wouldn’t be a problem.
In fact, he’s so good he could fund any number of surrounding marginals and create a new Liberal heartland in western Sydney.
An Abbott fund-raising event usually books out within hours and supporters pay big money and travel long distances to attend.
CAMPAIGN
Abbott has an army of talented campaigners who could move heaven and earth to deliver him victory in 2022.
Some of his most seasoned campaign experts were sidelined during the 2019 election (and so ran Senator Jim Molan’s campaign instead).
But, the word is, many of them would leap at the opportunity to put things right in 2022.
The winning ingredients are in place. It’s now up to Abbott – and Margie.PC
Oh how we need Tony’s boundless energy and magnificent qualities back in our Parliament which is so much poorer without him.
However, if he doesn’t wish to return to public life in any sphere, I understand completely. He has achieved monumentally for us all and we are so grateful.
My wishes that he would influence those who will choose prospective candidates to ensure Warringah stands a top-flight person to depose that absolutely USELESS Ms Steggall at the next election.
Warringah deserves and should demand so much more!
Tony Abbott is a clever, astute politician and a very decent man. What his opposition did during the last Federal Election campaign in the electorate of Warringah was disgraceful, despicable and wrong. I sincerely hope that he could make a successful comeback. The community at large needs him as a leader.
On Morrie’s pontificating on Tony Abbott; just what is your superior life experience? I have known Tony, not closely, in helping out at elections. No lack of good natured, patient and even manner, but backed by an astute toughness. After raising admirably decent and able children, along with a stalwart and capable wife, the other insights gained from both gaining a Rhodes scholarship and working for the most unforgiving media owner in Australia as a journalist, successfully, would seem sufficient to knock the edges off any naivety.
I have a fair experience, professionally, in judging character. Many who deride successful people, especially by pontificating verbosity, often hide deep insecurity and, perhaps, envy.
Tony is best able to assess where he may be effective. If that is a political return, I will turn up to hand out flyers and knock on doors, as many will.
“Many who deride successful people, especially by pontificating verbosity, often hide deep insecurity and, perhaps, envy.”
Your need to resort to an ad hominem shows the paucity of your arguments and your manifest inability to mount a compelling argument, and, sadly for you, it says more about your character than it does about mine.
Ah, Morrie, a nerve stuck I’d offer. If the jumper fits, pull it over your head. And on argument technicalities, ergo hoc blather impresses not many.
LOL. I may disagree with your position and the conclusions you have reached, but I have respect for a man who is ready with a sharp and witty riposte. Unlike some others here you clearly have both the inclination and capability to engage, and this is unquestionably to your credit.
Well we know now Morrie is a strong supporter of the Liberal Left. I have known Tony for many years (27) and have not found him to be anything but a good poly, community minded and astute when it came to judging those around him. Morrie, go back to the left side of the ring and maybe we could get Tony to go a round or two with you, literally speaking.
“I have known Tony for many years (27) and have not found him to be anything but a good poly [sic], community minded and astute when it came to judging those around him.”
The only way that you could have found Tony to be “astute when it came to judging those around him” was if your own judgement is sadly lacking. It’s clearly the case that you haven’t known Tony for 27 years at all; you’ve known him for six months 54 times over.
If you want to talk about Tony’s judgment, here is something for you to consider. When a politician does something, it should ideally benefit those whom he has been elected to serve, whether in his electorate or in the country more broadly. In instances where this is not the case, it is presumed that said politician is acting out of self interest (the trend towards which is truly the political scourge of our time). Keeping the forgoing in mind, into which category does the award of a knighthood to Prince Philip fall? Did it somehow ameliorate the effects of our eye-watering levels of immigration, which have progressively destroyed this country economically, culturally, and socially? Did it help to bring down our astronomical foreign debt – that ticking time bomb that is even now coming home to roost? No, it didn’t; in fact, it had no practical benefit at all for anyone in this country. So, was it good for Tony personally or politically on some level? No, it wasn’t; in fact, it made him look like an idiot.
So our ex-prime minister, who was paid north of 500K of taxpayers’ money per annum to run the country on our behalf, thought that his precious time was well spent giving meaningless titles to a foreign head of state – and in your estimation, this is “astute”? Really? Perhaps Tony should have gone on a world tour and made sure that every king, president, prime minister, potentate, and tin pot dictator got a knighthood – everyone wins a prize, because that’s why we pay so much in tax, isn’t it?
You have a problem that is common to many of those in the Liberal camp; you are yearning for a class system in which you can gaze with adoration upon the smiling countenances of your benevolent masters. You are seeking a champion whom you can claim as your very own; one who will keep a steady hand upon the wheel of state and allow you to sleep soundly at night. You want someone to worship, and it seems that you have settled upon Tony as the object of your desire. This means, of course, that for you Tony is, and must always remain, perfect in thought, word, and deed. Any contention to the contrary will cause you to display the symptoms of cognitive dissonance; hence your public display of discomfiture and snarkiness. Here’s a news flash for you: Tony is not special. He displays no breath-taking degree of intellect, erudition, wisdom, wit, or giftedness; he is just an ordinary bloke.
“Well we know now Morrie is a strong supporter of the Liberal Left.”
“Liberal Left” is a tautology; the Liberal party has been infiltrated and taken over by socialists, and it is now a socialist party in everything but name. For this reason they are a spent force politically: having sold themselves out to Godlessness and globalism, they have plumbed the depths of moral turpitude, and their days are clearly numbered. This country needs a strong party that is truly conservative, and that will serve the people in all humility – and soon it will have one.
“[…] maybe we could get Tony to go a round or two with you, literally speaking.”
I didn’t know that dyed-in-the-wool conservatives favoured violence by proxy; I thought that fisticuffs was the go-to of hard-headed lefties (typically because they are unable to express themselves in any other manner).
Are you sure that you’re not a closet communist?
This is truly an excellent analysis, beyond the quality and perception one finds in the mainstream media.
Tony Abbott has answered the question as to his future. Here’s the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOcDGDKvJKc
David
Turnbull continues to be the weasel, the BBC, the Wentworth two faces, the current deal(s) he is chasing.
Check the petty cash, he’s not above it.
I’ve always admired TA as a rugby player, A Surf Life saver, A Firie and a politician.
However he has had his time and we have moved on.
Stay low key Tony, you don’t have to prove yourself anymore.
Go surfing or coach rugby, it’ll be far more rewarding for you and all of us.
“However [Tony] has had his time and we have moved on.”
Yes, we have “moved on” to Zali “There’s a Climate Crisis” Steggall.
Obviously we are all much better served by an impressionable woman who is the sway of the loony left, aren’t we?
In all due respect, mercifully the Australian electorate aren’t that moronic to ever, ever let that happen….
G’day John,
I love the depth of the reasoning behind your analysis, and the unimpeachable logic thereof. Your arguments are as compelling as they are sound, and you demonstrate at once an amazing acuity and surprisingly sublime powers of expression. All these characteristics, of course, are typically observed among those of left-wing persuasion…
I cannot believe Morrie would say Tony Abbott lacks the necessary life experience to make sound decisions & not a good enough judge of people! We need Tony Abbott back in parliament & soon! He is the kindest man you would ever hope to meet as Graham Richardson states. When a staunch Labor politician makes such a statement people should listen! He is a true blue Liberal & you never ever hear him speak unkindly of anyone, not even Malcolm Turnbull. It is not in his DNA. I have been there to witness this! I only met this man through the Liberal Party & he wouldn’t know me from Adam so I have nothing to gain by lying.! I just believe the country is poorer without him. It was Tony who stopped the boats & no politician has had the gumption to do this before! The country needs him now more than ever! I hope he stands again at some time in the future in a different seat from Warringah. These people turned on him (not all but many for all the wrong reasons.) Climate Change madness from the left & he was treated like dirt. Something he would never do!
“I cannot believe Morrie would say Tony Abbott lacks the necessary life experience to make sound decisions & not a good enough judge of people!”
Why not, Jennifer? I wrote what I did because it’s true. I have spoken to Tony in person, at which time I upbraided him in no uncertain terms for his clear dereliction of duty in failing to act on certain issues which are critical to Australia. I offered to spend time with him to explain these matters further, but unfortunately he never availed himself of this opportunity. If Tony were a good judge of people, he would have not have let slide the chance he had to talk to me – and his failure of judgment in this regard is symptomatic of his lack of life experience.
“[…] you never ever hear [Tony] speak unkindly of anyone […]”
There is little doubt that Tony is a good bloke – unfortunately, being a good bloke is not the primary qualification for being a politician; in fact, it’s not anywhere near the top of the list. (You may be confusing our politics with those in the U.S., where the shallowness of the culture in general has resulted in politics having degenerated into a pathetic parody – a popularity contest between vacuous know-nothing narcissists, with the consequent corruption that has logically followed).
“It was Tony who stopped the boats […]”
It is not hard to stop boats. The fact that Tony is commended for having done so is a testament not to his gumption, but rather to the utter fecklessness of the of politicians in both major parties, whose character has been conspicuous by its absence.
[…] not even Malcolm Turnbull.
I wouldn’t put Malcolm in charge of a school P&C, and I wouldn’t hire him to sweep floors. He is manifestly unfit for any position of authority or responsibility, and the consistent failure of his colleagues in the parliamentary wing of the Liberal Party to plainly state that fact during his disastrous tenure was an abrogation of their collective responsibility the egregiousness of which is impossible to overstate.
Morrie, you never answered my key question, “Just what is your life experience?”. The fulminating, scattered and tendentious outputtings you pour out like a plastic extrusion moulder avoid this key answer. We would all love to know the foundations for the splenetic judgements you so freely offer on others. It would be illustrative to examine your particular glass house.
Time for an update.
“I cannot believe Morrie would say Tony Abbott lacks the necessary life experience to make sound decisions & not a good enough judge of people!”
It was in late 2016 that I warned Tony that war with China was inevitable. I advised him the China’s strategic intent was clearly telegraphed by their seizing and building up of islands and reefs in the South China Sea, and that it should never have been allowed or accepted by Australia or anyone else. The parallels with 1930’s Europe are clear, with the lesson being, as I told Tony, that if you appease a dictator it doesn’t mollify him, it emboldens him. So what did Tony do about this? What has the Federal government done to prepare for the looming conflagration? Very little, that’s what.
Now the CCP has entered into a $200 million dollar deal with PNG to build a “fishing complex” on the South Coast of New Guinea, in a town that’s just across the Torres Strait from Australia. So I’d be interested to hear from anyone commenting here the answer to these questions: how long will it be before CCP militia vessels are harassing Australian fishing boats in our exclusive economic zone? How long before they will be ramming them?
Bonus points are on offer for anyone who can answer these questions: am I still presenting as “tendentious”, or am I starting to appear prescient? Did Tony judge me correctly, and did he correctly estimate the consequent degree of credence that he should have given to my words?
WARRINGAH THE PRECINCT OF CHAMPAGNE SOCIALISTS
I agree with your analysis of today’s Warringah. It used to be a good place to live, but today it is superficially showy. When one digs a little one sees that there is no real depth. After years of happily living in the area, I recently rented in Neutral Bay – until I discovered that in the unit above lived a drug addict who smoked regularly and hard. At times, I had difficulty breathing due to smoke drift. The managing agents were loath to move the tenant out in spite of the Strata laws, compiled over considerable time, public money and expertise by then Minister Dominello which forbade such smoking.
Cocaine and marijuana can provoke serious health issues, among them cancer; osteoporosis, because it takes calcium from the bones of those subjected to it; along with the mental issues it causes. Consequently my tenancy at that unit was measured in months.
I then found another unit in Freshwater where the bubbly young property manager assured me that it was a quiet block with no funny smells or anything like drugs. A week later I discovered how wrong she was! But the culprit in the unit below was an owner – so I was made victim as the resident of least resistance and told to move for complaining. Prosecuting the owner would be more messy.
The Strata law says that a landlord is required to provide a safe place to live. But police and estate agents, in spite of goodwill on their part, have no power to enforce it.
When I applied to my local Member he did represent on my behalf, but the Minister said in effect I just had to cop it sweet. People are allowed to do what they like in their own home in spite of the Strata Law stipulating that no resident of a unit block is allowed to smoke such that it interferes with another resident.
With such a market provided to hand, the drug dealers regularly ply their trade on rented motor scooters across the electorate on Wednesday and Saturday mornings, and other vehicles very early at Manly Dam area on those days.
Premier Gladys seems to put popularity and votes before NSW people’s safety. Her Laws in this case are of the ‘Nudge, Nudge Wink Wink, Say no more’ variety on this topic.
How many other laws leave NSW vulnerable?
What about the regular residents who call it home long term and expect a safe electorate? Small wonder it doesn’t fit Tony anymore, and not me either, but I will continue the fight to return it to its former integrity. However I don’t want to live here at the moment.
I think Gladys should resign from Parliament, get married, have a family and start a business, then come back in 10 years with the insights and empathy gained, when she would make an excellent Premier for the people of NSW.
Tony is well-meaning but lacks the necessary life experience to make sound decisions, and he is not a good enough judge of people to surround himself with those who will give him the best advice. There are other people whom the left would fear much more than Tony, but these people are, at the moment, largely unknown.
Tony is a great guy in political life and as a community member of the northern beaches.
I would love to see him come back and give the Labor Party a run for their money.
Tony is still young enough to still give so much to the Liberal Party.
You have that completely wrong they were in fear of Abbott and he delivered the biggest blow in decades winning 30 seats which the hapless narcissist handed back
Having been the beneficiary of a huge swing that was engendered by a typically inept Labor administration, Tony made a number of unwise decisions, some of which displayed a breath-taking degree of political naivete. In so doing he rapidly squandered his political capital within the electorate. Having talked well, he performed poorly, showing not only bad judgment, but a surprising lack of conviction, not to mention aggression. The results of this can be all too clearly seen today, in the legacy of Scott Morrison and his merry band of moderate morons.
That Malcolm Turnbull is an incompetent nonentity is a given, but his duplicity and deficiencies should not be conflated with Tony’s supposed brilliance as a means of glossing over the latter’s serious shortcomings.
I’d be happy to see you explain where, in any of the foregoing, I have said anything that is “completely wrong”.