Clowns to the left of me, joke’s on the right

Is there a more fitting epitaph for Tony Abbott’s Prime Ministership?

“Mr No” proved himself to be an effective opposition leader – in that he got his party into government – but soon found that leading the country was a more difficult proposition.

In short, he was a dud, albeit not so much so as treasurer Joe Hockey.

Abbott made much of Julia Gillard being a liar but he proved himself to be far more adept at this personal failing than she.

Remember the promises about cuts not being made to certain areas?

Then there were the continuous gaffes, the changes in policy – the parental leave scheme for one – the captain’s calls, the failure to get rid of Bronwyn Bishop and Hockey and his chief of staff Peta Credlin and so many other failings.

The man also proved to be the supreme hypocrite.

The avowed monarchist claimed the job of prime minister was one delivered by the people and only they could take it away; pretty much a republican model I would have thought.

I have never been handed a ballot paper that asked me to vote for a prime minister.

The constant moaning about Fairfax Media and the ABC was another act of hypocrisy coming from a man who was happy to take the total backing of extreme right commentators such as Andrew Bolt, Alan Jones, Miranda Devine, Ray Hadley and others.

Of course Fairfax and the ABC are going to seem to be lefties when those same commentators took politics in this country so far to the right.

I have no personal animosity towards Abbott, despite his boorish media conference following his sacking.

And I am no big fan of Malcolm Turnbull, especially after his machinations against the then party leader Brendan Nelson, who could have become one of our great prime ministers.

But I do take personal delight in the squeals of indignation from the right-wing extremists in the media. The bottom line is they have lost “their man”, someone they could influence courtesy of their constant backing.

That same right-wing media now faces a conundrum.

If they conduct another vicious campaign against Turnbull then they are going to improve the chances of Labor winning the next election.

“What to do, what to do?” they must be asking themselves.

The opinion polls were evidence the Australian people were sick of the ideologues in the government holding sway and their ridiculous clinging to the “drip down” economic model.

They wanted people to work longer but provided no pathway for people to retrain themselves and make themselves relevant to the Australian economy.

They bleated that everyone who did not have a job was a bludger. But the unemployment figures would indicate that jobs are not that easy to find.

And while they bagged single mothers, do they really understand how hard it is for them to find part-time employment and look after young children at the same time?

Even if he does not deliver, at least the Australian people see Turnbull as some sort of chance to restore the government to one of humanity, a fair go and a true free market economy where small business will be recognised for the powerhouse it is in our society.