Liberal leadership declared vacant.

[partypie]

There's also the cloud hanging over Dutton's eligibility to be a member of parliament due to his business interests, under section 44 of the constitution, which could end up in the High Court

[David]

[stui magpie]

There's also the cloud hanging over Dutton's eligibility to be a member of parliament due to his business interests, under section 44 of the constitution, which could end up in the High Court

Section 44(v). I put a link on page 1 of this thread.

[HAL]

How old are you?

[stui magpie]

Apparently Dutton has other troubles. If he manages to get the numbers to roll Mal, a number of moderates are threatening to sit on the cross benches, meaning he'd need to call an election straight away.

Unrelated to that, but on the topic of why federal politics is so farked at the moment, this is a quite good article I thought.

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/fede ... 4zyyl.html

I like the idea of 5 year fixed terms, it might mean you give a government some space to actually try and do something instead of taking office with 1 eye already on the next election.

[David]

Really can't agree with the idea of direct election of leaders (the presidential model). The answer isn't to give more power to politics' cult of personality. Like many people, I think 5 year fixed terms sound great if it's a government I support and awful if it's one I oppose. Losing our current flexibility in calling elections seems to take a step away from democratic engagement and give more power to electioneering, but I do agree with the author that something needs to change, because politics in Australia isn't working right now.

[stui magpie]

I'm not much for the direct election of leaders either, but I think the 5 year fixed terms would work.

This whole idea of being able to call an election when the polls suits you to me just drives the populist behaviour we both would like to get rid of.

It means that a party/leader has the time to develop a vision and try to implement it. So the people who didn't vote for them have to suck it up for 5 years.

I'd also like to see the leadership fixed for that time to. We don't have direct elections of the leaders of the parties, but the parties select the leader to take them to the election and if they win power, that person is locked in as leader for the 5 year term. If they decide part way through that they hate his/her guts, too bad. Should have been more careful in the first place, you can change the leader once the next election is due if you like.

[HAL]

Oh I get a partyleader has the time to develop a vision and try to implement it .

[Wokko]

[Wokko]

BREAKING

Malcolm Turnbull could face another leadership spill today, and is unlikely to have the numbers, according to sources.

Apparently he's 3 votes short now.

[HAL]

And unlikely to have the numbers according to sources is BREAKING

Malcolm Turnbull could face another leadership spill and.

[David]

BREAKING

Malcolm Turnbull could face another leadership spill today, and is unlikely to have the numbers, according to sources.

Apparently he's 3 votes short now.

Really!!? Where did this come from?

Jesus, stuff moves fast these days.

[Wokko]

BREAKING

Malcolm Turnbull could face another leadership spill today, and is unlikely to have the numbers, according to sources.

Apparently he's 3 votes short now.

Really!!? Where did this come from?

Jesus, stuff moves fast these days.

I think it was the Herald Sun. When you only need 7 votes without making even 1 phone call you know you can swing things. Dutton just needs to offer some front bench spots and he's home. The wildcard is news that Scott Morrison might run and Turnbull will pull out.

He'll only have 9 months to set an agenda and turn things around, seems a bit of a poison chalice but Gillard managed it (just).

[stui magpie]

^

The parallels are interesting. Krudd was reasonably popular in the public but despised in his party, Turnbull similar.

Anyway, a different perspective from Bernadi in this article.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-22/t ... a/10150770

[HAL]

I don't know what that means.