Tony Abbott out: How progressive republican Malcolm Turnbull seized his moment to unseat long-time rival

[EC]

The brutal merry-go-round of Australian politics has dispatched yet another prime minister. Tony Abbott has been ousted by his own party following an ambush by his long-time rival, Malcolm Turnbull.

Mr Turnbull, 60, a leading progressive in the conservative Liberal Party, is expected to be sworn in as Prime Minister – Australia’s fourth in just over two years – by the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, tomorrow.

Seven months after a failed attempt by Liberal backbenchers to provoke a challenge to Mr Abbott’s leadership, and amid a relentless stream of poor opinion polls, Mr Turnbull pounced today, in partnership with Mr Abbott’s own deputy, Julie Bishop, Australia’s popular Foreign Minister. An extraordinary day of drama in Canberra – reminiscent of the serial knifings of prime ministers by the previous Labor governments – culminated in a late-evening ballot of Liberal MPs, who voted 54-44 to ditch a leader who won a convincing election victory only two years ago.

That victory was in no small part due to Mr Abbott’s promise of stable government following the period of Labor disarray, which saw Kevin Rudd unseated by his deputy, Julia Gillard, only for him to return the favour three years later, just before the 2013 election.

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/tony-abbott-out-how-progressive-republican-malcolm-turnbull-seized-his-moment-to-unseat-longtime-rival-10500881.html

[aligncare]

I cannot understand politics in Australia. What the heck is a conservative liberal party?

And taxpayers are upset about getting stuck with a bill for a helicopter ride for the Speaker, but they don't mind paying a carbon tax? What a screwy country.

Plus, they have too many Julia's and Julie's in government. I need a scorecard to keep track.

[EC]

No one understands Australian politics. Not even Aussies.

[DCPatriot]

No one understands Australian politics. Not even Aussies.

 

[jmyrlefuller]

I cannot understand politics in Australia. What the heck is a conservative liberal party?

And taxpayers are upset about getting stuck with a bill for a helicopter ride for the Speaker, but they don't mind paying a carbon tax? What a screwy country.

Plus, they have too many Julia's and Julie's in government. I need a scorecard to keep track.

As I understand it: Australia's two-party system consists of the left-wing Labour Party and the right-wing Liberal Party (I presume that's more in the classical liberal sense). So it appears they have elected the Australian equivalent of what we'd call a RINO.

[aligncare]

As I understand it: Australia's two-party system consists of the left-wing Labour Party and the right-wing Liberal Party (I presume that's more in the classical liberal sense). So it appears they have elected the Australian equivalent of what we'd call a RINO.

Thanks. That helps a lot. Maybe because it was so early in the morning when I read it, I couldn't make heads or tails of the players.