DUCKPOND

Utegate did not go down well with the punters so the polls suggest. Lest we forget it was supposed to be the political demise of Wayne Swan.

How was Malcolm Turnbull and those colleagues he consulted supposed to know that it was a fake email. In these matters the Government has the advantage, and it seemed relatively easy for them to identify the source of the email.

Clearly, the public has decided according to the polls that Turnbull is the loser in week long parliamentary contest. I am surprised that they were so prepared to judge an Opposition Leader so harshly. Now Turnbull is politically damaged, and the Utegate Affair is going to stick to him if he is the leader in the next election.

I do not know if Malcom Turnbull is tempramentally cut out to be an Opposition Leader, which perhaps requires that the focus should always be on the Governments short comings and mistakes while presenting as the alternative prime minister. Paul Keating can talk, but he was never Leader of the Opposition. It is no easy task, and many have fallen over in the job before Malcolm Turnbull. Malcolm it seems has a problem with consulting with his colleagues, which will be a problem if he were to become prime minister.

Paul Sheehan, who writes for The Sydney Morning Herald, seems to have surpassed the standard in terms of luridness and violent imagery. It is true, from what I heard, the Government counter-attacked, given the Opposition Leader believed he, like Brutus, held a dagger, not so much pointed at Caesar as his little mate.

The question then arises who else is there? The choices suggested are Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey. For the moment it looks as if the Liberals will stick with Malcolm, but when public opinion turns against the Rudd Government, as it inevitable, it means that he will not have same ride as John Howard from Opposition to Government. The question then will be will Malcolm Turnbull be able to last the distance, and if defeated will he continue on in Parliament?

ELSEWHERE:

According to the ABC, Senator Minchin has advised Liberals to keep cool heads following the fall in the polls. I suppose the proposition that being poll-driven does not make for good government or good opposition flying in the face  that spin rules. In these times of media diversity, and therefore information source options, it seems to me it might be appropriate to tailor the messages to the different media to cover the spectrum. But then, what do I know?

ELSEWHERE:

Stephanie Younane, at ABC Unleased, reviews the Turnbull leadership style and his failure to communicate with an effective message that resonates with the concerns of the voters.