There is a bit of a kerfuffle over at Menzies House. They have had to take down a post that was rant against Joe Hockey. Unfortunately the google cache didn’t get a copy, but Caroline Overington did.
Diary has a copy, and can tell you that it’s basically a rant against Hockey:
“Joe Hockey is completely ill-equipped to ever be a member of the leadership team of the Liberal Party … I do not deny that people like Joe. After all, how could you not. Yet there is a big difference between being likable, and being leadership material (a lesson Kim Beazley learned well – and he was actually competent!) …. We are beyond the point of backbencher despair – we are at the point of open revolt. While Shadow Cabinet can continue to put on a brave face, there can be no denying the panic that is spreading through the ranks as members view the destruction Hockey is causing.The Liberal Party deserves more. Hockey must go – and soon …’’
And so on, and so forth, all of it written by somebody who refused to put their name to it.
The problem the Liberals face is that they might end up in office sooner rather than later and it looks like they’re beginning to fight over the spoils of office. This isn’t a good look and it will cruel their chances of actually getting into office.
We here at the Cat have been very critical of Hockey over his bank-bashing but to claim that he should not be in the leadership at all is a bit much. He does need to lift his game and occupy the space that Swan is leaving vacant.
Update: Scroll down for full version here.
I read it when it was first published. I thought it was badly written and seemed to be something of a pointless rant. Given that it was poor quality and anonymous I was surprised it got a run. Having said that I think it was pretty weak of Tim and co to pull the article after the fact. Tim stop sucking up to the Liberal party.
TerjeP
16 Feb 11 at 2:33 pm
It’s not a good look after bashing LP last week over the OLO/Domain affair.
Jacques Chester
16 Feb 11 at 2:35 pm
What’s Hockey done lately, though?
Did I miss something?
C.L.
16 Feb 11 at 2:35 pm
they have published some pretty crappy pieces over at menzies which never got pulled
jtfsoon
16 Feb 11 at 2:37 pm
Well it could be defamatory, maybe a lawyer got worried.
pedro
16 Feb 11 at 2:38 pm
all of it written by somebody who refused to put their name to it.
What is it Swan? Was he being naughty?
Gabrielle
16 Feb 11 at 2:41 pm
Hockey makes mistakes, such as his ill-fated attempt at a bit of populist bank-bashing, but he’s not terrible. And by the way, likeability might not be everything but it is an asset.
On the other hand there are probably better choices for the treasurer slot. They need to attack Swan hard, as he’s the government’s weakest link.
Turnbull has made good headway against Conroy and the NBN. Could Swan be Turnbull’s next assignment perhaps?
daddy dave
16 Feb 11 at 2:41 pm
Hockey will always follow the Kochy ditto heads on almost every issue. He’s affable to the point of weakness.
C.L.
16 Feb 11 at 2:51 pm
Hockey apparently needs to”occupy the space Swan is leaving vacant”.
Nah. Joe would be way too hefty to fit inside Duck’s skull.
paul walter
16 Feb 11 at 2:52 pm
I found this bit from the take down notice interesting:-
I wonder which of their past articles are written under a pseudonym with an ambiguous professional title? Maybe Cory Bernardi isn’t a real person.
TerjeP
16 Feb 11 at 2:53 pm
ps,Sinclair, I wouldn’t worry about the big banks too much. Big enough and ugly enough and not the wallflowers some imagine them to be.
paul walter
16 Feb 11 at 2:53 pm
Terje, a meeting of minds at last.
paul walter
16 Feb 11 at 2:54 pm
You reckon? I think Turnbull’s been about as potent as a 90 year old eunuch. Stuffed if I know how he made his name as a lawyer.
Infidel Tiger
16 Feb 11 at 2:56 pm
From a mischief maker who could be on either side of politics.
I’d be very surprised if there is “open revolt” over Hockey.
Still, it was gutless of MH to take it down.
I can’t imagine it was defamatory…
Ken Nielsen
16 Feb 11 at 2:59 pm
When your first day in court involves bitchslapping both the Queen and Margaret Thatcher, you will not be forgotten easily.
Peter Patton
16 Feb 11 at 3:06 pm
Turnbull has been excellent on the NBN. Unfortunately the vested interests in the damn thing can’t move for political reasons, but the news tide has completed turned with even Fairfax reporting problems now.
pedro
16 Feb 11 at 4:06 pm
Moderation for me? but I’m a gentleman!
[You are a gentleman, but when you change your details you become a new person and your first comment automatically goes into moderation. Sinc]
pedro
16 Feb 11 at 4:07 pm
The quality of the rant is why I personally don’t bother reading Menzies House. Alas the overall quality is not good.
KC
16 Feb 11 at 4:15 pm
Must admit am startled at the type of language use by posters at Menzies house.
Not what I would have expected, from the genteel folk of the leafy-greens..
paul walter
16 Feb 11 at 4:16 pm
Peter Martin has the full text up on his blog.
grendel
16 Feb 11 at 4:35 pm
Quite the incoherent rant.
murray
16 Feb 11 at 5:42 pm
MH claimed to have confirmed that the writer is a Liberal Party staffer.
If so, somethings going on. I doubt that a staffer would be running his own agenda.
I’m not a big supporter of Hockey, but he’s not that bad.
Cui bono?
ken n
16 Feb 11 at 6:17 pm
ken n
In this instance – I would be inclined to go with stupidity over rat cunning malevolence – until proven otherwise.
If you are a young, market-oriented person who wants to work long hours for miserable pay and crap conditions in the hope of grabbing the brass ring eventually – the commercially smart ones will make their way into investment banks and hope for an Allan Moss-like payday.
I would be a bit worried that some of the staffers on the right-of-centre side of parliament house are not the sharpest implements in the shed.
Labor is the party of naked careerists.
Myrddin Seren
16 Feb 11 at 6:43 pm
I don’t know why this is news. It’s probably just some electorate officer stuck in the outer suburbs of Sydney or Melbourne. Who cares?
rose
16 Feb 11 at 7:27 pm
By the way, I trust people have noticed that this line in the pulled article:
is completely misleading. Newspoll shows the lowest Coalition primary vote under Turnbull in the last 6 months of his leadership was 35%. It was more normally 38 or 39%.
The writer is conflating Turnbull’s lowest personal approval rating with primary vote.
steve from brisbane
16 Feb 11 at 7:50 pm
So Turbuckle lead Libs polled 35% to 46% under Abbott.
“Bring back Malcolm” – the plaintive cry of the secret ALP shill.
Infidel Tiger
16 Feb 11 at 7:52 pm
I certainly recognise fact that many MH posts are well written, but hey, we’re trying and are suceeding rather well in getting many Australians who are non-politically involved normally to get involved in the movement.
If you wish for a higher caliber of posts, then, here’s a radical suggestion: stop complaining and send us something. I have repeatedly asked for more contributions from readers here. So, quite frankly and with all due respect, if you aren’t willing to send us anything, I think you abrogate your right to complain about the quality of posts.
So yes: please submit to us!
Tim Andrews
17 Feb 11 at 7:35 pm
Allegedly it’s Hockey (‘s office) that leaked the Scott Morrison anti-Muslim party room stuff.
Tit for tat?
FDB
17 Feb 11 at 7:41 pm
*not well written (lol)
Tim Andrews
17 Feb 11 at 7:47 pm