Sunday Sanity break, 26 February 2017 - Australia's conservative mess
Tony Abbott's latest contribution has not been welcomed by Liberal lovers. Paul Kelly discusses at length the Menzies construction of the party as having two wings - liberal and conservative. A successful 'liberal' leader is traditionally a bit to the right - Menzies, Fraser, Howard. A leftish man like Turnbull is unlikely to keep the conservatives happily in the coalition. This bias is strongly supported by the age of the Trump, that complicated mix of radical 'drain the traditional swamp' politics.
Paul Kelly's analysis available here.
Finally, the general discussion has agreed that Turnbull's challenge to Abbott was like Gillard's challenge to Rudd. It was bleedingly obvious when it happened that it would have been far better to let Abbott fall or win at the next election, as we said at the time, incidentally. Also that not putting Abbott in the cabinet was a massive mistake, one that even Gillard failed to make.
Kulture.
To be posted
The Sporting Life.
Wow! Flogging India in three days. Smith's century and being smart enough to open the bowling with spinners and getting O'Keefe to get 12 for 70! To shock and destroy the Indian superstars. Not to mention the wise old owl mentioned last week who crowed the if Australia did very well they might be beaten 3 to one.
My analysis is this. The wicket was prepared to destroy Australia. A massive turner, dry as a creekbed in the Northern Australia dry season. . How many times did an Indian spinner pitch the ball outside off and hit the pads, but the replay showed the ball outside the leg stump. Or hit the pitch on the way to bowling only to miss the bat by 6 cm as it headed for the slips. On the other hand, the normally modest turn of Lyon and O'Keefe looked like Warnie, and the odd non turner jagged back from outside off to take the stumps.
It's game on, folks! The wise owl may yet be right, but I doubt it.
Sad weekend for Caaarlton! The lads were flogged by the Demons, and the Melbourne gals also bear the Blues, albeit narrowly.
Still, its early in the 2017 footy season, and for careful preparation the cricket boys have shown the way.
Image of the week.
